How To Know When You Have Too Much On Your Plate

Do you find that one minute you can feel on top of everything and then all of a sudden you feel overwhelmed with the high expectations you put on yourself?

Do you want to slow down the pace when you are feeling that way but you also know you need to get things done?

It can be tricky sometimes to know when you have too much on your plate and you need to prioritize better (saying no to what matters less) . . .

OR . . .

If you’re letting the distraction and overwhelm take over unnecessarily, and you just need to focus or take a breather to reset.

I still sometimes walk that fine line of wondering if I have too much on the go (prioritize better) or I am just letting the pressure I put on myself get to me (more about focus and mindset).

Like this week, when Monday threw me for a loop.

My top three work priorities came to a head at once, with important deadlines and unexpected issues with the quality of some deliverables I had delegated.

Usually I can step out of the overwhelm (I shared in an email a few weeks ago how you can too), but on Monday it got the best of me.

I felt almost paralyzed with everything to do, doubted my abilities (big time), and maybe even shed a few tears ;-).

And fell into the old habit of thinking I need to do it all myself.

Which certainly doesn’t help move things forward and feels way more stressful!

It was also my mom’s birthday who passed away a couple of years ago, and so grief was likely bubbling underneath as well.

I am sharing this to let you know that we all have bad days and so that you know you’re not alone if you have experienced this too.

But the problem when we are in this overwhelmed state is we are not getting done what needs to be done, it feels more stressful, and we are less productive.

And it just adds to the pressure!

In times like this, I try to give myself some space for how I feel and honor what I need to get back to feeling more calm and present.

To slow down and do less, but get closer to the heart of what really matters.

Instead of focusing on everything that needs to be done (which is inherently overwhelming) or continuing to think it’s all doom and gloom (once I had a pity party) ….

I gave myself space to feel what I needed and reset.

I broke my priority tasks into smaller chunks.

I set ONE main focus or priority for each day (instead of my usual three) and focused on the MOST important task for each priority.

I reminded myself that my feelings were temporary.

I got back to feeling more in control of my days and week.

Want to feel more in control of your days?

If so, it’s time to get serious about prioritizing your time more effectively. While you take care of your mind and stress levels too.

And if you feel overwhelmed day after day, that is a pretty good sign you have too much on your plate and time to take things off and say no more.

But I get that it can be challenging to figure out where to focus or break things into smaller chunks when you have competing demands and deadlines.

The thing is, everything is NOT equal.

While it’s tempting to keep trying to do everything, it’s a way more effective and sane to get closer to the heart of what really matters.

This means ignoring all the things you could be doing or had planned to be doing.

To focus instead on what will truly move the needle.

To be even more intentional about what you say ‘yes’ and say ‘no’ to.

Now, you might buy into this idea, but how do you get to the heart of what really matters?

Listen to this video for how to prioritize your time in a simple and effective way.

I've used this approach for prioritizing projects in my corporate career, my weekly to-do list for business, and even what to do in the evening with the kids.

And I used this a few times this week to get back on track and step out of the overwhelm.

Let's keep things simple!

You've got this!

What Next?

You can sign up for Stacey's masterclass, The Confident "No" here.

Stacey L. Olson is a Leadership and Certified Positive Psychology Coach, has 15 years of corporate experience and has gone through her own transformational change from burning out to balanced in life while performing at a high level (both in her corporate career and own business). She works with professionals who want to work less, live more and be their best even with all the demands, high expectations and messiness of everyday life. Stacey is the founder of The Balanced Leader™ program and offers executive and leadership coaching, workshops, and speaking.