This might sound familiar: You always have too much to do, and you never seem to make much progress.
That used to be me.
I worked 80-hour weeks – but thanks to the steps I’ll share here below, I successfully cut that down to just 2-hour work weeks.
Want to learn more? Read on!
💡Key takeaways:
- Delegating tasks and learning to say no will help you focus on what matters
- Instead of multitasking, complete one thing at a time to maximize your results
- It takes 23 minutes to refocus after an interruption
Jump straight to…
- Set the right goals
- Create to-do lists
- Track your time
- Prioritize the right tasks
- Say no
- Avoid multitasking
- Delegate
- Remove distractions
- Take care of yourself
- Get support
Are you overwhelmed by too much to do?
There are plenty of reasons you might feel overwhelmed by your task load.
A few of the most common ones include:
- Perfectionism: Setting unrealistic standards that slow progress
- Decision fatigue: Exhaustion from making too many choices
- Lack of prioritization: Treating all tasks as equally urgent
- Unclear goals: No defined direction or success metrics
- Too many commitments: Overextending yourself
- Lack of delegation: Taking on everything alone
- Emotional stress: Mental strain affecting productivity
- Multitasking: Reduced efficiency from context switching
- No boundaries: Difficulty saying “no” to new requests
- Procrastination: Delaying important tasks
So what’s the solution?
Let’s talk about it…
10 tips to manage overwhelm when you have too much to do
Here are ten things you can do to manage overwhelm like a pro.
1. Set realistic goals
Having goals will help give you direction – so you can AVOID going in a million different directions and burning out.
So, a S.M.A.R.T. goal is:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
When you’re setting goals, think about the big picture and prioritize tasks that will help you see results quickly.
2. Create to-do lists
Most people write to-do lists. The problem? About 89% of them don’t get everything done consistently.
Why is that? Well, knowing what you need to get done is one thing, but doing it efficiently is another.
Here are two quick tips to make your to-do lists better:
- Write down tasks in order of importance using the 1:4:5 rule: 1 big task, 4 mid-level tasks, and 5 smaller tasks.
- Use action words to make tasks more specific (e.g., “Write email” vs. “Email”).
Once you’ve broken down your goals into smaller tasks and organized them based on importance, you’ll have a to-do list that serves you.
3. Track your time
Ever wonder why you never seem to have enough time to get things done?
Here’s the thing: Everyone gets 24 hours in a day, but not everyone uses that time effectively.
If that sounds like you right now, there’s an easy fix: Start tracking your time to see where it’s going.
Here’s how:
For two weeks, keep track of what you do and how long it takes. At the end of the two weeks, you’ll have new insight into what you’re currently doing and how you can improve.
For example, one of our clients was able to free up 11 hours every week – just by eliminating mindless scrolling on news sites.
Check out this video for more on how to do a time audit:
4. Prioritize tasks
If you have a seemingly unending to-do list and no idea where to start, here’s a strategy that can help, called the Ivy Lee Method:
- Before finishing each work day, write down the top six things that you need to accomplish the next day.
- Of those six things, organize them in order based on how much of an impact they can have on your goals.
- When you’re ready to start work the next day, focus on the first task on your list. Don’t move on to anything else until it’s done.
- At the end of the day, review your progress. And if you weren’t able to finish your six tasks, just add the remaining ones to a new list and keep repeating the cycle.
The great thing about this method is that by limiting yourself to six tasks, you’ll be less overwhelmed by your to-do list – and end up getting MORE done.
Talk about a win-win.
5. Learn to say no
Saying no is really about saying yes to what matters more, like…
- Focusing on things you care about
- Improving your mental health
- Having more time for your relationships
To do that, set boundaries from the beginning. Don’t be afraid to tell people, “I’d love to help, but I’m going to have to say no.”
When you communicate boundaries, you’re taking control of your schedule so that you can have a bigger impact.
6. Avoid multitasking
On the surface, multitasking can seem like a good use of your time because it feels like you’re getting more done.
But actually?
The opposite is true: When you have too many things going on simultaneously, it becomes too much for your brain to handle.
So instead of increasing your productivity, you’re actually reducing it.
💡Our recommendation?
When you feel like you have too much to do, stay laser-focused on one task at a time. And once you’ve completed a task, move on to the next thing.
7. Delegate
Learn to delegate tasks that don’t require your direct involvement.
You might be surprised by how much time and effort you can save just by having other people help you.
Okay, but maybe you’re thinking, “I’ve tried delegating things in the past and it just added to my workload because I had to make edits.”
Sound about right?
Then check out Carey’s advice on how to delegate the RIGHT way here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwtUbF7K4xQ&ab_channel=LifehackMethod
8. Remove distractions
Distractions are a big obstacle if you’re trying to get deep work done.
According to research, it takes 23 minutes to get back on track after getting interrupted.
Crazy, right?
But there’s an easy fix: To maximize your efficiency, reduce distractions as much as possible. For example, put your phone on silent and turn off notifications.
Even if you can’t eliminate distractions completely, you can still drastically reduce them.
9. Take care of yourself
When you’re overwhelmed, the last thing you usually think about is taking care of yourself.
But here’s the thing… If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll pay for it later.
Take it from me (Demir): I used to work 80-hour weeks on Wall Street – until the day I ended up in the hospital with a strange illness brought on by chronic stress.
That’s when it hit me: I HAD to change my lifestyle or I was going to get seriously sick.
So, I did.
I significantly reduced my work hours and focused on rebuilding my health and finding ways to be more productive.
💡Result: I got promoted, started a tech company, and had way more time in general.
Eventually, Carey and I used the knowledge we had gained to help others through our productivity coaching business.
If I had stayed in my dead-end job, none of that would have happened.
So, bottom line here: When you take care of yourself, you’re doing everyone a favor.
10. Get support
With the right support system, you can make enormous progress.
Tim, a student in our Lifehack Tribe community, knows that firsthand. Before joining, Tim was a successful attorney, but he struggled with meaningless busy work.
After taking our 60-day Lifehack Bootcamp, he reported saving 2 hours per day thanks to the systems he created during the program – while increasing his revenue.
Ultimately, getting support can help you push through obstacles and get things done 10x faster – so you can live the life you want.
What’s next?
Okay, there you have it!
Now you know how to tackle overwhelm when you feel like you have too much to do – so you can work less and have more time for what matters most.
Ready to get started?
Grab our FREE Win the Week worksheet.
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