[CEATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED] Managing Overwhelm http://ezezine.com In this issue, identify the source of your overwhelm and learn 2 strategies to manage the chaos in your life and work. CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED! from Turning Point Strategies and Lyle T. Lachmuth Please do forward Creative Careers Unleashed to interested colleagues in your network. Links to join and leave this list are at the end of this ezine. MANAGING OVERWHELM You may be asking: "What's managing overwhelm got to do with staying focused on doing what's important?" Everything. Here's why.... and here's how to handle it. ======================================================================= HOT LINKS Read the last issue of CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED here: https://member.ezezine.com/home/72/72-2005.05.22.09.26.archive.txt Learn about the Reticular Activating System and its role in what we focus on: http://www.answers.com/reticular%20activating%20system Read more about MANAGING OVERWHELM at my Blog: http://lyletlachmuth.typepad.com/turningpoints/ Discover your Enneagram Type here at my coach's site: http://enneagramcentral.com/testa.htm ======================================================================= MANAGING OVERWHELM 2 Tips For Overcoming Chaos I decided to talk about overwhelm because it's something I've been experiencing a lot lately. And, I thought that my strategies for dealing with it would be useful for you. In my 'real' job I have a tremendous amount of work to do. I've been assigned 50 clients. For each client (a private medical clinic) I conduct a 2 hour face to face meeting with the physician &/or the clinic manager. I then spend up to 6 hours writing up their policies and procedures and the documentation they will need to submit to our province's privacy commission. The challenge isn't so much in the writing -- though that can be a pain in some cases when I have to chase vendors for technical documentation. The challenge comes in a) the constant chasing required to make and keep appointments with very busy clinics and physicians and b) keeping on top of all the sub-tasks involved in each mini-project. Oh, yeah and one really, really big challenge: I have ASM Disorder. That's Anti-Systematic Methodology Disorder! If you're a Artistic-type you know what I mean. The artistic/creative mind is anything but logical and sequential. We don't do rote. We don't enjoy sameness. We don't like details -- well what we consider unimportant details at least. We thrive on variety, on zinging off in unexpected directions, chasing the whiff of an idea, energized by randomness and variety... but not too much! And, that's part of my struggle. Too much randomness. And, too much structure. So, I feel less overwhelmed, here's 2 things I've done/I'm doing to bring myself back to a saner and happier... less chaotic place ======================================================================= QUOTES "Muddy water when still becomes clear" -- Ira Progoss, "What disturbs people's minds are not events but their judgments of events." -- Epicitus 500 BC ======================================================================= MANAGING OVERWHELM - continued #1 Identify the Source of the Overwhelm Overwhelm isn't caused by all those things going on in the external environment. No, really! Sure, 50 mini-projects is a lot to handle, no question. But, it's not the 50 projects. Or, the other stuff on my plate. I'm generating the overwhelm in my head. As Epicitus noted centuries ago, it's not the event but our reaction to it. This idea is the basis of modern day cognitive behavioral psychology: that it is how we think about, interpret an event, assign meaning to it, that determines HOW WE FEEL, not the event itself. So, when I say Identify the Source of the Overwhelm, I'm saying: "Look inside yourself (myself) to see how my thinking is causing me to FEEL overwhelmed." Confused? Hope not... But, let me walk you through my analysis of my overwhelm. My hope is that this example will illustrate how you can identify how your thinking is creating those feelings you have-- whether it's overwhelm, frustration, anger... or joy. I started by asking myself, "Why do I feel so overwhelmed?" Well, the first answer I got was the usual "excuse" -- all those darn projects, too much to do, those uncooperative clients, blah, blah, blah. So, I had to dig deeper. What was I 'thinking' about these projects? Ah, that got me closer. I had thoughts like "I HAVE TO get these done immediately!" "I'm behind already. If I don't get on top of this it will be a REAL DISASTER! It's only going to get worse." How did these kind of thoughts make me feel, i.e. besides overwhelmed? I felt: Frustrated! Pressured! Tense! B-thcy! Guess what? I don't perform well when I'm feeling pressured, frustrated, tense, &/or b-thcy. What about you? Take a look at my thinking. First, saying I HAVE To or worse yet I MUST creates pressure: lots of it Albert Ellis, creator of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy has one signal commandment, [read this carefully] "Thou Shalt Not Musterbate". His notion, and in my experience it's true, is that very, very few things are Musts! Making things a Must, a Have to, a Should, is in his words, "irrational thinking". Worse yet, it creates unnecessary pressure. Even worse, if we have a whole pile of things that are a Must we really feel overwhelmed. Second, notice the phrase "Real Disaster!" I mean who's a drama queen? Using self-talk like this is called catastrophising. By exaggerating the seriousness of the consequences with our internal language we actually make them more serious, more of a threat, more overwhelming... bigger than they really are. Once I identified how I was thinking. I took several deep breaths. And, started using different self talk. Instead of saying "I Have to" I started saying, "I would prefer to have this done ASAP." Or, "I've committed to get this done ASAP but the world won't end if it's a few days late." Ah, sweet relief. So, to sum up this strategy. Examine how you are thinking about an event or a task. How are you labeling it? Are you making a Must or a Should? Are you blowing it out of proportion? If you are doing these things you're likely going to feel lousy in some way. Then, change the way you think about it by changing the way you talk about it to yourself. ======================================================================= WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE? What's your excuse for not doing what you love? My giveaway is still in effect! Send me your answer to this question: "What are the 1 or 2 biggest barriers to living the life of your dreams?" I'll send you a complimentary Special Report and I'll publish my answer(s) to your question in a future edition of this ezine. CLICK HERE mailto:LyleTLachmuth@gmail.com?subject=MyExcuse ======================================================================= MANAGING OVERWHELM - continued #2 Ask for Help Yes, I know I said this before. But, I'm saying again. Maybe because I need to hear it as much as you do. As I said before, a key characteristic of artistic-types is independence. You have to be independent if you're going to forge new trails. But, too much independence can create overwhelm as you try to do everything yourself. That's what happened this week to me when what I WANT to do got added on top of what I HAVE -- okay, bad word! What I COMMITTED -- to do. I don't know about you but I find it very easy to get over committed, over booked when it comes to doing tasks, taking on projects that support what I love. So, here I am with my 50 mini-projects and what do I do? At the same time I decide to accept an invitation to be a guest editor at an Australian Blog, start writing a new Special Report, accept an invitation to present to a Virtual Assistants forum, and accept an invitation to be an 'expert' panelist for a new international Podcasting broadcast. Oh, yeah, and there's all the usual suspects: running the business, modifying my Blogs, writing my Blogs, cutting the grass... etc. Whew! I get overwhelmed just reading the list. Can you see the problem? So, what's a body to do when that body "hates" having to be realistic. One, thing I've decided is that at I'm cutting back my newsletters to 2 per month. I've had fun writing every week and I hope you've enjoyed these weekly issues. But, I have a lot to clean up before I take off for vacation at the end of June. So, for the foreseeable future, look for Creative Careers Unleashed in your Inbox at mid-month and month end. I've found a couple of professionals who are willing to barter services and they're helping do stuff I need to do whilst I coach them in return. So, if you're still feeling overwhelmed get help... And, tune into my Blog this week for more about Managing Overwhelm See you June 15th, Lyle Lachmuth MSOD,CDP,CRT(Hons) The Unsticking Coach (TM) Helping Creative Professionals Live Their Dreams Turning Point Strategies Box 72140 RPO Glenmore Landing | Calgary, AB CANADA T2V 5H9 T: 403-390-4768 | E: :LyleTLachmuth [at] Gmail.com =================================================================== ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER Join or leave this list here: http://home.ezezine.com/72/ Past issues here: http://home.ezezine.com/72/ PRIVACY POLICY: I collect your name and contact information solely to enable me to send you this newsletter and other information on a periodic basis. I will not rent, trade, or sell your name and contact information to anyone, at any time, for any reason! CAVEAT: CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED and its publisher, are not engaged in providing therapy. This newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety only, including copyright, legal, and contact information. Copyright 2005 Turning Point Strategies and Lyle T. Lachmuth