I think it’s natural to get overwhelmed at times, in life in general, but particularly as a business owner.
The constant need to keep the lights on, push growth, drive sales, manage the team, assess results, keep clients happy, handling issues and daily curveballs. That’s alongside defining the vision, tracking progress, meetings, updates, networking, conferences and more.
Sometimes it feels like being a rabbit in the headlights.
But rather than the headlights from just one car, it can seem like there’s new cars appearing in all directions. More and more headlights bearing down on you. A visceral feeling of fear, confusion and anxiety as you stand helplessly at the crossroads, dazzled by the cars hurtling towards you.
Well one thing’s for certain – if you don’t move at all, you’ll be crushed. If you stay overwhelmed and busy, then your progress stalls.
In years gone by, my go-to approach would be to ‘get busy’. Flittering around, scurrying in the middle, trying to frantically avoid or paper over all the issues heading your way. This feels busy, so in the short term, it might feel like progress. But all you end up doing is running in circles as the massive crash draws ever nearer.
But now, I find the best way to get out of the impending car crash is actually to do less. That may be counterintuitive, but as humans, we can choose what we use our focus and brain power on.
- Move > Pick a lane, and start making movement. Any movement beats nothing – easier to change direction once you’re moving v.s. when you’re still.
- Cut the noise > Dim out the headlights from problems that aren’t worth your attention. Park them, make the space to focus on what really matters.
- Stay focused > on the destination Regularly review your North Star. Where are you going, and don’t let the dazzling headlights take your focus away from your true goals.
- Reflect on progress > Take pauses and time outs. Walks, exercise and writing help to declutter your brain and keep you moving forward.
I’ve found it really useful to compartmentalise the noise, keep notes to get worries out of my brain to deal with later, and reflect back on old notes.
Most of the time, all the day-to-day worries fade away over time.
There’s always more coming at you. More issues, more challenges. You’ve got through challenges before, but if you’re overwhelmed, then it’s it’s often time to get ruthless. Start working on your goals and the tasks that create biggest impact, everything else can wait.