Too Many Tasks & Not Enough Time?

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Have you ever found yourself sitting down, looking at everything you have to do and then feeling like you just lost all energy to move forward on anything?

You are not alone.

THIS IS THE TRAP OF A RUNNING TO-DO LIST.

Honestly, I wonder how much time is spent writing, rewriting, transferring, staring at, walking away from, tossing, and rewriting our to do lists? Sometimes it is an attempt to organize our thoughts and sometimes it feels like the only thing I can do in the midst of the overwhelm — I may not be getting anything done but at least my to do list looks pretty, right?

And of course, we know where anxiety and overwhelm show up, shame is never far behind. So then, on top of the existing angst, we lose even more time and energy in the battle of negative self talk, engaging in endless ballads of self-flagellation for what we haven’t done while spending more time in the “not doing” phase.

WHAT GIVES?!?

But the reality is, we can’t just walk away. Or, I guess we could but at what cost? Instead, I think it is about finding a different way to engage with the daily “doing”.

Any of you who have worked with me know that I do not believe in simply shifting from “busy” to “productive”. Sure, productivity is a key part of the puzzle as we respond to the state of overwhelm but it is just one part. The other side? Intentionality and values-driven living.

HOW CAN WE GO ABOUT CULTIVATING THAT?

Honestly, the biggest thing to consider is what you are busy with. What are you spending your time and energy coins on and is the benefit worth the expense? I talked about this a lot in my blog post on “Assess Your Investment of F*cks” where I also share a tool on how to really dive deeper into this question.

The goal here is to trim the excess “spending” from your budget. Be sure that the things that are being added to your budget truly matter and connect to your values. Stuck wondering how to determine what your values even are? Check out this blog post I wrote about finding your why.

Now, you’re probably thinking:

OKAY, I’VE TRIMMED AWAY THE EXCESS. I AM INVESTING IN WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME AND I STILL FEEL OVERWHELMED BY MY TO DOS. CAN WE PLEASE TALK PRODUCTIVITY NOW?

Absolutely! And with that, I want to share with you one of the best tools I have found to really support you in the decision making and scheduling of your tasks — The Eisenhower Matrix. Developed by President Eisenhower himself, this matrix helps you determine what to work on, how to prioritize your time, and what we can and need to delete and/or delegate.

I created my own version of this idea to best lay it out in a way that you can easily pick up and apply. Ready to get started?