Tips For Getting Things Under Control When Your Life Gets Overwhelming

If life has been overwhelming you lately you need to realize that there really are a fixed number of things you can do before your performance (and overall happiness) begin to suffer. Here are a few tips to getting things back under control.

1) Stop taking on new things.

Sometimes it is hard to say no to invitations to do things or requests to take on new tasks but sometimes you have to because you’re at the point where, if you take on more, the quality of what you’re going to offer is going to suffer. If you’re at that point (or past it) don’t take on more. You’re not doing yourself or anyone else a favor.

2) Cut back on things you’re already doing.

We often have a tendency to overcommit to things (see point number 1) and if you’ve already overcommitted sometimes you just have to back out of one of those commitments.

Sure, it is not anyone’s favorite thing to do. People often do not receive it well when you have to step down from a commitment. But then sometimes you need to cut back on the number of things you’ve taken on for a season in your life to get your feet back on solid ground and get your stuff together.

3) Prioritize the things you do have to do.

If there are a number of things to be done, you ultimately need to know what is TRULY most important for you to get done and what just feels urgent. A good book on this topic (for me at least) is First Things First by Stephen Covey. The key point here is to identify what is TRULY important in your life first. Only once you do that can you choose to put those things at the top of your priority list.

If you take the three steps above (not just read them, but actually ACT on them) you can simplify your life and reduce the stress that detracts from the peace you should be having.