Can't keep up with your overwhelming tasks? try this.
Posted on May 08, 2013 by Cynthia Belmer, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
How to manage your endless tasks in a record time.
Few years back, when I used to work an 8-6 job, I used to feel so overwhelmed and constantly stressed with my job. Some parts of me, felt that I was always behind because of the many deadlines that I had to deal with all at once. I felt I was totally trapped!
But, Let me tell you this little epiphany that I had not too long ago when I was reflecting on my previous life. I was remembering what kind of message were playing inside my head back then and I realized that my inner voice sounded like this: “I am so behind, I am not sure how I can keep up this crap, I hate what I do, I have to finish everything ASAP so I can have all the time in the world to do what you want.”Heh – That urgency kept me up to speed and on time but at the end of the day, my tasks were never over for good because of the attitude I had. So, when I was reflecting on this situation, I asked myself the following question: What was the emotion that you wanted to feel when you finished your tasks?
The answer was that I simply wanted to be happy, FREE and have time to make my own choices in a life that I enjoy. Sounds familiar? But then, I wanted to challenge myself a bit more so I asked myself: What was keeping me from feeling this way at the time? My first answer was: I don’t want to be fired and it’s my responsibility to finish my tasks – of course My second answer was: Finances – I had to take care of myself. My third and honest answer was: Myself. Guess what? All this time, I was working so hard because I was chasing an emotion that I wanted to feel when I was done with my work. But when I realized that I could have attained that emotion back then, I had an aha moment. I realized that I have always had complete control over my stress level and I absolutely had the choice to enjoy my life. So, take a moment and ask yourself the follow questions and see for yourself how much power you have: First: What are all the tasks that you have to do? Write down every single task you have to do, that also include your grocery shopping and so on.. Just empty your mind! Second: Are you 100% sure that you have to complete all these tasks now? Start prioritizing your tasks based on importance. You can also use the following formula to prioritize:Divide up tasks based on things that need to get done for the next 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, then 2 years.
Prioritize based on importance: Urgent and important ( these are the things that must be done now), Urgent and unimportant ( things you think are urgent but are actually blocking your goals), Not urgent and not important (these are distractions), Not urgent but important ( things that are not urgent but will help you expand and reach your goals ).
Third: What can you delegate from these tasks? Ask for help.
Fourth: What can you eliminate from these tasks? Remember, we all have a tendency for urgency but you know in your heart that sometimes we can simply say no. For example: Saying No to a party that does not interest you much.
Fifth: Now that you have prioritized your tasks, it’s time to get deep with your emotions. So, ask yourself what emotion do you want to feel when you are done with your tasks?
Sixth: What actions can you start doing to start living this emotion now ? Put your excuses in an excuse bin, you deserve to be happy so follow your heart.
