Tackling overwhelm: you need an energy protection plan!

No I haven’t switched into some dodgy solar panels pyramid selling line of work, RiF is still here, as straightforward and free of dodgy selling tactics as ever. If we’ve ever had a “sales” call you’ll know full well that I’m interested in finding out if we’re a good fit, and whether I’ve got anything useful to offer, if not I’ll recommend someone else who could help!

Back to energy protection! I’ve been doing a lot of reading recently about managing time and more importantly creating time and space to think; how is it that some people seem to manage their time so effectively that they have space to pursue their goals, and yet others with comparable challenges and goals, seem to be constantly overwhelmed. Yes personalities, and natural tendencies are very different but aside from those characteristics are there things that people who are more prone to feeling overwhelmed can do to thrive, rather than feel browbeaten by all that pressure? I’ve previously (4 burners theory and boundaries) written about the humble calendar as a surprisingly effective tool for time and mental space management and the ideas in this article will take that to the next level!

The idea I’d like to offer this time is to use planning, recovery, and transition “blocks” to respectively: prevent overwhelm, help you to perform at your best, and support you to get more out of the time you have available by easing the transition between tasks. Let me explain more:

1. If you’re feeling overwhelmed it’s probably because you have so much to do you have no idea where to start because it all seems important, or no idea what will lead to success, or how on earth to get started, or maybe whether there’s any chance of getting much of the to do list done at all! Let’s assume this is mainly a work-related issue. Why not try building in a planning time block at the end of each day. Take 15 minutes to reflect on what you’ve accomplished that day and then write down three things to focus on the next day. If the task to be done seems monumental and you’ve no idea where to start you can always ask your favourite AI tool to break it down for you. You may disagree completely, but starting from altering something that doesn't suit you is far easier than staring at a blank sheet of paper. Planning the night before means that, when the next day begins, you can get straight on with a task rather than spending valuable time and energy deciding what to do, or allowing feelings of overwhelm to encourage procrastination. You may find that you end up ticking something off your list by the time you’d usually be getting started had you not prioritised your focus at the end of the previous day! At the very least you’ll have made a decision about what’s most important, which will shut some of the noise of all the other to dos out.
2. Recovery blocks are so, so, important but also the things that are usually cancelled or postponed for urgent tasks. Recovery blocks are things like sleep, winding down, taking time for nutritious meals, and exercise. These activities help you perform at your best in the long run, even though they may not deliver an immediately obvious benefit. Think of recovery blocks as investments in your long term success and well being because these foundational activities will support performance in all other areas, as you’ll know full well if you’ve ever given a keynote speech whilst seriously jet lagged!
3. Transition blocks are little segments of time when you give your brain a chance to move from one super important focus to the next. By including just a few minutes we can “finish” our focus on one area, and mentally transition ready to go again, to give the next task our full attention. Transition blocks have perhaps been especially missed since the shift to completing at least some work from home. It’s really difficult to switch instantly from dealing with the the stresses of the working day to being a fully present and attentive partner, parent, etc. Try a quick walk around the block, a few minutes quiet meditation, or a quick jog on the spot, something to move your body and give your brain a chance to mentally put one set of activities behind you, and refocus on what you want to experience, or achieve next.

That’s all for this post, feel free to check out the RiF Inner Circle for useful templates and other resources to help implement some of these ideas, and more generally, this page if you'd like support with a grant application!