New Year's Resolutions Without the Overwhelm

It's that time of the year again—January. Although it might look a little different this year, New Year’s Resolutions are still in full swing. But perhaps you’re starting to feel a creeping sensation… That feeling that maybe you took on a little too much all at once? Trust me, I know the feeling. As a lifelong busy bee, I definitely suffer from Too Much Syndrome.

What is Too Much Syndrome? Simply put, it's my term for when I want to do it all, but feel too overwhelmed to begin. I’m paralyzed by my mile-long to-do list. Starting one thing, only to get distracted by a work email or taunted by that towering pile of books in the corner that I was supposed to read...

Every entrepreneur and freelancer has had this experience- especially in the field of design, where nothing is perfect and everyone seems to be a perfectionist. It's so easy to dive head-first into your resolutions, all gung-ho with great expectations, only to find yourself drowning in a sea of tasks that you did not anticipate. Not sure where to start.

Now, sometimes this “Too Much Syndrome” can be a blessing in disguise. Because it makes us attentive to detail, sparks ambition and develops perseverance like nobody’s business. The problem is, while this can be a huge productivity booster, it may also come with the unfortunate side effect of anxiety. When you try to do so much that you’re in over your head, the overwhelm is real.

So if you’re struggle-juggling a bajillion things- from branding your website to writing content, outlining a marketing plan, keeping up with client communication, and everything in between—here’s a helpful list of things you can do to relieve the overwhelm:

1 | Brain Dump

On a piece of paper, brain-dump everything you have to attend to. Be messy, don’t worry about hierarchy of importance. Every task, meeting, or goal (big or small) is welcome. If it's weighing on your mind, dump it out! Laundry, meet with a potential client, dentist appointments, write blog posts, meal prep, go paperless, get oil change, send thank you note, buy a new couch, update portfolio, meditate, get a haircut, yoga, volunteer, sleep—WRITE IT ALL DOWN.

2 | Batch Tasks By Due Date

Once you have a nice full sheet of paper, go through the list and group by the time frame that each task is due. For example, daily, weekly, monthly, and if you plan really far in advance—yearly. My personal maximum is quarterly, but it's up to you. Daily tasks might include things like “exercise” or “work”. Whereas “meal prep” or “write a blog post” might be weekly. If you know you have a doctor’s appointment coming up, or there’s an annual review at work you need to prepare for (in 6 months), then those would be important but not urgent. You can use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize things by “importance” and “urgency”. Check it out here.

3 | Track and Automate Daily Tasks

With practice, daily tasks can be turned into habits, so you can accomplish them on autopilot and conserve your energy. To build a new action into your routine, like meditation or reading, you may want to use a habit tracker or write it down in a bullet journal.

4 | Write Down Weekly Tasks

Put reminders in your phone for recurring weekly tasks such as meal prep, or writing blog posts. Anything else can be written on your regular to-do list (in whatever format you like—whether it's a planner, phone, or just a piece of paper).

5 | Schedule Future Tasks

Anything farther out than a week should be an appointment on your calendar so you don’t forget or procrastinate. As Marie Forleo says, “if it isn’t scheduled, it isn’t real”. Once it's on the calendar, make sure reminders are set a couple of days in advance so it doesn’t sneak up on you.

And that’s it! Hopefully, this method will help you narrow down your list to a few priorities. By focusing on a handful of action steps today, you’ll find your list a lot less daunting. By scheduling everything else, you’ll be free of fears that something will slip through the cracks. Remember that you can only do what you make time for. And every ‘yes’ means you have to say no to something else.

Take care of yourself! And I hope you have a productive and joyful year (or at least better than 2020).