Ever just catch yourself feeling constantly overwhelmed by your to-do list?

Where it seems like no matter what you do, you can never get your brain to catch up with your tasks?

If this is you, I understand you completely.

You wonder why other’s have the result you want – but you’re killing yourself trying to get there.

The good news is, there’s a specific reason this is happening!

Here, we’ll cover the truth about overwhelm, how to stop feeling overwhelmed, and when it’s actually time to take a break.

So, let’s dive in so you can finally start producing results without your head spinning off the tracks!

The Truth About Overwhelm

Many of us become overwhelmed because we’re desperate to obtain a certain result.

We are under the impression that results require more work. 

So, we continue to pile on the work till we feel overwhelmed with our tasks.

Which ultimately makes us feel helpless and disorganized.

It’s no surprise that the more work we pack on, and the more overwhelmed we become, the less we actually achieve the results we desire.

This is because of a very simple, and groundbreaking, concept: your results should be measured based on the value produced, not the time spent.

If you measure results based on time spent, you’ll be wasting a ton of it.

Let me explain.

You could spend all the time in the world working towards a goal and never see results.

Why?

Because you’re really just “busying” during this time and not actually producing value.

Which causes you to think you need to “busy more” and work harder to see those results.

When in reality, you could have spent less time getting the results you want – by simply producing more value.

It’s essentially where “work smarter, not harder” comes into play.

So, don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to work yourself into overwhelm to get results.

You need to simply rework your timeline to produce the most value in the shortest amount of time.

How To Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

Take Massive Action

Do you wonder at the end of the day how you wasted so much time getting NOTHING accomplished?

If this happens often, don’t be too hard on yourself.

I would catch myself doing this for years!

Turns out, I was doing this because I was taking passive action.

Passive action is where we’re actively consuming information instead of producing results.

This can include taking courses, reading books, checking social media, etc.

Our brains like to live in a state of passive action since it requires no discomfort and feels easier in general.

Now, let me tell you…I am a passive action queen.

There’s nothing I love more than learning, listening to podcasts, and consuming information.

It’s the best!

But, this type of action produces zero results.

You need to pair massive action with it to get the results you desire.

Massive action is where you’re actively producing value into the world.

For instance, in my case, this would be writing a blog post, tackling my email list, or producing a digital product.

All those actions produce something of value that I can check off my list.

See the difference?

So commit to massive action every day.

Intentionally set aside time for those passive action tasks that you love, so they’re not filling your whole day.

Life Hack: I like to pair my passive action tasks with other daily activities so as not to waste time. For example, I listen to all my podcasts while driving or while in the shower.

Learn To Embrace Discomfort

Much of why we feel overwhelmed is because our brains are afraid to feel the discomfort associated with producing results.

Referring back to the last example, when you’re in passive action mode you feel very comfortable and safe.

All because you’re not actually producing results.

When you enter a state of massive action, you will feel discomfort.

Your brain will hit the panic button and try to tell you to stop.

This is natural.

Keep taking massive action despite the discomfort.

It’s the only way you’ll actually be successful.

Really, it’s the secret sauce.

Separate the Facts from the Drama.

Here’s the truth…our brains love drama.

Hence why we love the movies, or can’t wait for next week’s episode of The Bachelor.

We feel that without drama, our brains wouldn’t be properly stimulated.

Turns out, the drama your brain convinces you is worthwhile is one-hundred (and fifty) percent useless.

Drama includes emotions like stress, panic, and defensiveness.

Whenever you catch yourself feeling overwhelmed, I want you to learn to separate the facts from the drama.

Your brain will seek to feel drama on an emotional level.

The key to avoiding this is to always look at the facts.

Write them down.

Then you can start effectively formulating a plan for success rather than reveling in useless emotions.

Plan Your Ass Off

You need to become obsessed with planning your daily schedule.

While it sounds insane, some people remain in a state of overwhelm because they “don’t like to plan.”

Sorry guys, but if you want to have your ‘ish together, you need to get over it.

Get used to planning and following through with said plans if you want to see results.

I know you have it in you to keep promises to yourself on a daily basis!

To keep me on schedule, I use G-calendar for this and it’s such a gamechanger.

I legitimately couldn’t live without it.

You can access it from your computer, phone, and tablet.

A good practice is checking your schedule every hour on the hour.

I learned this from a mentor of mine and it’s significantly changed my productivity levels.

When It’s Actually Time to Take a Break

It’s important we distinguish when you’re unnecessarily overwhelmed and when you actually need to step away for a while.

Here’s a little-known fact that many are unaware of: there is a stark contrast between overwhelm and burnout.

Overwhelm is when you don’t need to take a break.

Because you’re not actually creating results.

You’re dwelling in drama, self-pity and feeling sorry for yourself.

When you catch yourself feeling overwhelmed, the solution is to create a plan to take massive action until you produce the results you desire.

Burnout, on the other hand, is when you’re taking massive action constantly and producing results, but reaching that end-goal has become more important than your well-being.

You’ve found yourself giving up important aspects of your life in order to reach that end-result.

This is where you need to take a break.

Because you won’t effectively reach the result you desire by rushing to get there.

To Wrap Things Up…

Now that you know how overwhelm works, and how it can be avoided, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish if you commit to the massive actions necessary!

The simple concepts in this article changed my life.

I wasn’t aware (in the slightest) that I was constantly putting myself into a state of overwhelm.

Now, I can catch my brain when it tries to commit to the drama instead of the facts.

I now feel more in control of my results.

Which is a beautiful thing.

Now, go start taking action to manifest the results you desire!