It's been such a very full and busy July.
Anyone else?
There are so many stories on my camera roll to document.
There are family moments happening daily.
There are babies growing so quickly that I can't even blink!
And then there is you, my creative and documenting friends, who are feeling overwhelmed by it all.
I know, I get it.
Just because this is my work and business does not mean that I too do not get overwhelmed.
There is so much product goodness.
There are so many ideas all over the place.
There is a backlog on our phones.
I know. I do!
Here are a few tried and true ideas to maybe help you slow your roll a bit.
Secrets to Slowing the Overwhelm
1. Keep It Honed In
What do I mean by that. The amount of images and information that we are readily available these days is almost on overload. It's too much, in my opinion. The human brain, while very capable, is not about quick fast and in a hurry. For me? I have been working on honing down the amount of images I take in. I want to sharpen my focus on what is important to me. And trust me, I can scroll baby scroll as good as the next Instagramer. And while that is a truism, I have also been working on being much more aware how much I take in. Yes! Inspiration is good. But if we are so inspired that we don't know where to start (and yes, I am talking to you) then what good does the inspiration do us? Keeping it honed in and focused and not as readily taken in can help with the slowing the overwhelm.
2. Schedule It In
This is a thought that I just actually replied to on the Facebook page where I was asking about Memory Planner challenges. The question is 'how come I can't seem to get to this?'. I can only speak from my own experience, but here's the thing: if I schedule when I am going to do a thing, I almost always get it accomplished. The scheduling, if you let it, will then become a habit. It's true. I live this. And I know, I know...it's harder for some of us than it is for others of us. Like...I can't do all-nighters like Heidi Swapp. It's just not going to happen. So I have to be aware of what I am capable of, and then tap into that. Scheduling the documenting time is is one way to cull the overwhelm.
3. The 20 Minute Trick
Have I shared this one before? This is a trick I learned a long time ago, and I think it truly does help with the overwhelm as it brings with it a sense of accomplishment, and that is a really good feeling. So the idea goes: if you have something you want to get to, maybe you have been procrastinating about, then set a timer for 20 minutes, and do nothing but that thing. Here's what I can predict: you will not want to stop when the time rings at the 20. Don't believe me? Try it. And let me hear from you. This is a favorite of mine and really helps me not be overwhelmed with any kind of task I know I want to get to.
4. Pick Your Poison
So that may be a really weird point here. What do I mean by that one?
We Can Do Anything. But We Can't Do Everything.
I know, I know, we are women hear us roar. But seriously. You know it's true. We can't do ALL the things we see out there to do. What is it that really fuels you and gives you a sense of accomplishment? Do you really want to get that Memory Planner caught up and practice your creativity in there? Would you prefer the non-descript nuance of an art journal? Is One Word really your jam, but you keep getting distracted by everything else? This really does require us to know ourselves. What makes us light up. What gives us the result that we want. Pick your poison.
5. Take a Break
Lastly, for now, as this is in no way shape or form all the ways to help with the overwhelm, take a break. It's ok to step away from the craft table. Maybe you need to consider the four points I have added here. Maybe you need to reset what it is you want to make happen. Maybe you are just that, overwhelmed, and you need a breather. I am a believer in Sabbath. Taking breaks from certain activities once a week helps me to clear my mind and reset for the next six days. Again, this is something I have been learning for awhile now. None of these points came to me overnight. All had to be brought into my life and learned.
So maybe that is just it. You need to re-learn a few things. Adjust. Reset. Look forward. And do the things to help mitigate the overwhelm.
I hope this post is helpful to you. I am sharing here some pages from July's Memory Planner. This is still a project to me that means so much as it catalogs my life in the best way I know how. To learn some beginner tricks for this I want to invite you to check out my Beginner Basics Memory Planner class. In it you will find additional ways to slow the overwhelm.
For now, here's to slowing the overwhelm.
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