One huge theme I hear these days is how overwhelmed people are. They don’t say, “Oh, I’m so overwhelmed!” They say they don’t have time, they wonder why they’re bothering with their business, they have no life, and they are exhausted.
Sound like you? 
Well, how do you overcome this overwhelm? Here are three simple steps. Yea, really, as simple as this:
Step 1 – Removed from your daily planner, print up a generic schedule that gives you a grid of every hour in a full week. Print it up and do this manually. Computers still don’t work for EVERYTHING. Shade out all of your personal time, such as sleeping, eating, caring for kids/family, etc. Shade out self-care time, such as exercise or relaxing (yea, it should be on there). Then shade out any work/client time – this is the time you actually work on bringing revenue in. This can also include time spent charting, etc. The time you have left over is the time you have to work ON your business. Perhaps NOW you can see why you’re so stressed! You’ve been trying to work on the business with time you don’t have! Just by being aware of the time you have available can put it all into perspective and help relieve some of your stress.
Step 2 – Learn to say no. It’s a simple suggestion I give ALL of my clients. When an opportunity comes your way, always, always, always ask yourself this question: Does this help me achieve my goals right now? If the answer is no, then kindly refuse, BUT keep the door open by saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t do this right now, but please contact me at another time.” You’ll be surprised how that keeps the door open.
Step 3 – Write down your goals for the week, and then break it down into your goals for the day. Keep it simple, keeping in mind the time you’ve learned you actually have (as opposed to the time you IMAGINED you “Should” have). Then prioritize your goals for the day. And then stick to it. If you get distracted easily (email, Facebook, Twitter, the phone) turn these things off. Imagine you’re in school, in class. Distractions are NOT an option. Try this just once and see how productive you are!
These really are three simple steps to move you out of feeling overwhelmed and into feeling in control of your time. Give it a try and let me know how it works!
Ok, my distraction is over. Time to get back to work!
Margie
Marjorie Geiser, MBA, RD, NSCA-CPT
Chair, Nutrition Entrepreneurs Dietetic Practice Group, ADA
Everything is looking great. Thanks for the information!