5 Ways to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

Many people think that multitasking is efficient but it is a much slower way to work than focusing on one thing at a time.

Research is a big part of moving the boat up to the dock before you step onto it.(G-Stock/Shutterstock) Studio/Shutterstock)

Feeling overwhelmed is something that almost anyone can relate to. It happens when we think that we have too much to do and not enough time to do it. It makes it hard to get started, stay focused, and function effectively. If you are feeling overwhelmed, here is what you can do.

Start by Getting Organized

A huge part of feeling overwhelmed comes from trying to remember everything you need to do and trying to figure out what order to do it in. Your brain is working overtime trying to remember and problem solve in the background while you do things. This is not a recipe for success.

I once heard of an experiment where people were divided into two groups. One group was told to memorize a two-digit number and walk into a room down the hall, while another group was given a seven-digit number with the same instructions. When the people got to the room they could choose to eat chocolate cake or fruit salad. The people trying to memorize the seven-digit number were nearly twice as likely to choose the chocolate cake. In other words, trying to remember things uses mental resources and even affects our decision-making and willpower. Get the extra mental clutter out of your head and onto paper, a calendar, or whatever system you use to organize yourself.

Prioritize Your List

You might resist taking the extra time but it’s worth it to make a clear list and label your items in order of priority. This way you won’t have to use additional mental resources trying to figure out what to do next. Just go to the next item on your list. A simple method for prioritizing your list is to score each item on it, based on how important and timely it is, on a scale of 1 through 10, while noting if anything has a specific due date. Then rewrite your list in order of priority.

Do One Thing at a Time

Many people think that multitasking is efficient but it is a much slower way to work than focusing on one thing at a time. When your attention is divided, your focus is weak. Whatever you are doing is likely to take longer and you are more likely to make mistakes, which will cost you even more time. You will also feel more stressed out trying to manage more than one thing at a time.