Tuesday, February 17, 2009

What To Do When Stuck in Overwhelm

From time to time, people reach out for help when responsibilities in a given area have piled up to the point that they feel like they are drowning in them. My own personal demon in this area is paper clutter in my office. The tool that works best is the Start Small tool.

Here is how it works: Let's say your office is a disaster with stacks of files and papers and notes on every surface. Maybe there are a few books underneath, making those stacks even more precarious. In this situation, many of us might feel overwhelmed, agitated, embarrassed and disgusted that we allowed the office to get in this state. Here are the steps to get unstuck and create immediate relief:
  1. Stop. Breathe. Focus on the solution, and let go of the blame. 
  2. Decide how much time you can reasonably devote to cleanup right now. You'll be surprised at how much can be accomplished in a mere ten minutes, when that is all you are doing. Put your phone on voice mail. Close your office door, if you have one. 
  3. Choose one area to work on, like your desk surface, for example. Focus there specifically for the allotted time. If your desk is piled so high that ten minutes (or whatever amount you are devoting) doesn't make much difference, choose a 2-foot area of your desk to break it down into a manageable section.
  4. You'll be tempted to keep going, but unless you can afford to shift priorities for a longer period, simply schedule another session for the afternoon, or the next available slot in your calendar. Keep this commitment as sacred. One small section at a time, you will make visible progress. Keep at it. The relief will be palpable and free your mind for other pursuits.
  5. Once you have the mess cleared away (or the hairy project complete), schedule regular maintenance time to keep it organized. Some find 15 minutes at the end of a day works. Others like to schedule an hour once a week. Find your best method and then make it a habit, putting it in your calendar until it becomes a routine part of your day that you don't have to think about. 
We all get stuck from time to time, and that's no big deal, as long as we find a way to get unstuck. By starting small, we get moving again and that makes further motion forward much easier.