Is the Feeling of Being Overwhelmed Paralyzing You?

Many people, like me, start their online businesses while working their regular jobs.  Others begin an online business, because they no longer have a regular nine-to-five job.  No matter what situation you are in, there are times in everyone’s online career where they feel that they are not moving forwards or not moving fast enough.  Sometimes, this can cause you to become paralyzed.  You may begin analyzing your situation, and if not careful, you can succumb to “paralysis of analysis.”

I face the paralysis bug when I get overwhelmed.  I get overwhelmed by the tasks of being a mom, wife, daughter, friend, part-time employee, and online entrepreneur.  Sometimes, I feel like it’s all too much.  As a result, I get stuck, and don’t know what I should be doing next.  When I’m doing one thing, I feel guilty like I should be doing something else.

In what follows, I want to give you some tips of what I’ve discovered can keep me moving forwards with my business when my life gets busy and I start feeling overwhelmed:

1.  Plan The Week Ahead

On Sunday nights, I sit down with my agenda/daytimer, and write down everything I have to do and on what day.  For example, if my daughter has dance on one evening, I make sure it’s written in the calendar.  If I have to pay my affiliates that day, I write it in there.  Even stores I might have to run to as I come home from work, are entered into my schedule.  By having everything written down, it frees my mind and allows it to focus on getting the tasks done.

2.  Make Detailed Lists of Things to Do For My Business

I know that this might sound like a no-brainer, but I don’t just jot down simple points on a list.  For example, I don’t just write down “create a marketing video.”  Instead, I take time to think exactly what this video will be about and what I plan to include in it.  I jot down these points before I forget them, and then refer to them when I am deciding on tasks that need to be done for my business.  Doing this gets my creative juices flowing, and makes things move along faster as I tackle the items on my list.

3.  Just Sit Down and Do it

Once I have my week planned out, and I have a detailed list of tasks needing to be completed in my business, the next thing I need to do is set time aside to work on my business.  Working from home, I find that it is so easy to get distracted by all the other things needing attention to in my home (ex. the dishes, the laundry).  It is important to set aside work hours, tell my family my work hours (treat it like a real job with no interruptions), and plan how long I will be working.  If I know that I am going to be working for three hours, I ensure that the full three hours is dedicated to my business.  I let my family know that when the three hours is up, that I will then be spending time with them.  We may plan something fun for later such as a family movie night, or a bicycle ride.

Do you also struggle with the feelings of being overwhelmed or paralyzed in your business too?  I’ve love to hear from you.