This summer I started feeling overwhelmed.
Like I had a ton to do, and I was always busy, but nothing important ever really got accomplished.
I felt like I was making ZERO progress.
So it was time for a change. I needed to get a better plan in place and make sure that it was productive but not overwhelming.
Here are the steps I took to turn things around. It ended up they helped me get more done!
I Narrowed My Focus
To narrow my focus, I took my long list of things to do and broke it down to just a couple things per month.
For example, with my blog I chose to focus on switching email providers and affiliate marketing for the month of July.
I did this for every month for the rest of the year. I’m sure there will be some slight adjustments, but it’s a good starting place to not have everything scheduled at once.
I Mapped Out a Plan
Next I took those few areas of focus and wrote out what I needed to do for each area. I kept in mind the time frame – I only did things that would be realistic to accomplish within a month (or two- some focus points were for more than one month.)
I keep this plan in my planner and also Google Drive, which I use all the time to keep my files organized.
I Use My Planner
I switched planners. I had been using my old planner for years.. But with the season of life I’m in right now, it just wasn’t working anymore.
So I switched to the Organized Life Planner.
This one helps me set goals and tasks that are realistic and managable. I love all the little details – there are spots for weekly habit tracker, weekly and daily priorities, prayer requests, health, water intake, meal planning, and so much more.
Check it out for yourself here! (affiliate link)
I Take It One Day at a Time
Over-planning can also be a cause of overwhelm. As much as I’d like to have everything planned out perfectly, it seems to work better to have an “outline” for the week and fill in each day as it comes. This way I can adjust as the week goes along – because you never know what each day is going to bring!
I Give Myself Grace
Finally, I make sure to give myself plenty of grace. I know I can be hard on myself when I don’t feel like I’ve been as productive as I should be and I should get more done. But all that does is produce negative attitudes.
Instead, I give myself grace – because we can’t change the past! What we can do is have a positive attitude and keep going when things don’t go as planned.
So this sums up the things I’ve done to simplify. It turns out eliminating some of the unessential has made me a whole lot more productive.
[convertkit form=967396]
*This post contains affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
