When you’re overwhelmed, it means you have too much of something to handle. In the case of business, it is usually a result of having too many responsibilities or tasks on your plate. Being overwhelmed can negatively impact the growth of your business as it can cause you to become stressed, burned out, and physically or mentally ill. If this happens, you aren’t able to be your most productive self. This is why it is so important to learn about overwhelm and how to overcome it if it does begin to occur.
How Do You Know If You’re Overwhelmed?
It’s important to recognize when your work life – even your personal life – is becoming overwhelming so that you can take appropriate action right away. The effects of overwhelm can vary from person to person. However, below we’ll list the most common signs that you’re experiencing overwhelm.
- You feel stressed out all the time
- Changes in mood such as feelings of anger or irritability
- Changes in sleep pattern – either too much or too little sleep
- Feeling physically/mentally drained
- Trouble focusing or concentrating
- Increase in making mistakes on tasks
- Procrastination and/or lack of motivation
- Body aches such as headaches
How To Overcome Overwhelm With The 3 D’s Method
Once you’ve identified that you’re experiencing the effects of overwhelm, the next step is taking action to overcome it. One way is by implementing the 3 D’s method.
This method is a type of prioritization strategy where you categorize your tasks into three groups: Delete, Delegate, or Delay. This helps you to decide how you should deal with a particular task to avoid doing them all on your own.
- Delete: Sometimes we fill up our plates with unnecessary tasks that are unimportant. Analyze your list of tasks and ask yourself which ones are necessary and which ones are not. Will they impact your business if you don’t do it? If the answer is no, delete those tasks from your to-do list.
- Delegate: Don’t try to do everything on your own. Andrew Carnagie, a successful businessman, once said, “no person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself”. Building a successful business requires help or delegation. Ask yourself which task a best left for someone else to complete. For example, if you’re not qualified to do social media marketing, hire someone that is.
- Delay: Often, we look at every task as urgent or important as we try to rush them all to completion. Every task has a different level of importance/urgency. Try listing your tasks from most important to least important, then tackle the most pressing ones first. Delay the ones that are least important on your list by postponing them for another day.
Conclusion:
Once you’ve assigned your tasks into one of the three categories listed above, your business life will become so much easier. You will be on your road to becoming more productive and growing your business to new levels. Remember, being overwhelmed can reduce productivity and disrupt your mental and physical well-being. So the next time to feel overwhelmed, try the 3-D’s method.