1. Are you suffering from “Brain Buzz”?
Do you feel as if you have invisible gnats buzzing
around inside and outside of your head? Are you
so overwhelmed by possibilities that you start to
work on one task, then set it down and switch your
attention to another, and then another?
Welcome to the World of Overwhelm. It happens
to all of us and it is happening more and more in our
increasingly complex world.
Here are some solutions I have come up with, besides
simply shutting down for a day or so:
Organize in advance
Make a list before you go to bed of all the things you need to do, in order, the next day. Tell
yourself, “There, now my day is all organized.” Then put it aside before you go to bed. Don’t even
think of taking the list into your bedroom, which should be a serene space where you can relax.
Stick to your organization
Never, ever, EVER (did I say that enough), start up a computer without knowing in advance exactly
what you are going to do next, and after that….
Make a list (on paper, in real handwriting) and post it where you can see it while you are on the
computer. When you get distracted by incoming emails, instant messages, and internet searches,
return to your list for grounding.
Switching tasks
Switching tasks can be confusing. Always take a few minutes to breathe and center before doing
this, clearing your mind of the previous activity just as you should tidy your desk or workspace
before switching tasks.
Avoid multi-tasking:
We all do it: talk on the phone while opening mail, or jot down notes on one topic while listening to
another. No, it doesn’t make you doubly efficient; just the opposite, in fact. It can leave you
exhausted, and you haven’t even accomplished much of anything.
When all else fails, take a day off and do something pleasurable. You will more than make up for
that lost time by being re-energized.
And finally, remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “I have so much to do today, I must
meditate for two hours instead of one.”
Lynette Crane, M.A.(Psychology) and Certified Life Coach,is a Minneapolis-based speaker, writer,
and coach. She has more than 30 years' experience in the field of stress management. She currently
works to provide stress and time pressure solutions to harried women, those women who seek
"Islands of Peace" in their overly-busy lives. Her talks to groups of what she calls "harried women"
are receiving rave reviews. Visit her website at http://www.creativelifechanges.com/ to see more in-
depth articles and to view her programs.