I guess my biggest problem is keeping track of maybe 30-40 little projects that can’t be done immediately and need a few steps to them. I get anxious keeping on top of them and can feel overwhelmed.

Help! Any ideas?

John - UK

Here’s my answer to John.

Hi John

Thanks for writing!

Yes, I do have some ideas.

1. Make a master to-do list of all those projects (there’s a form in the Organising Success Pack for you to use)
2. Can you delegate any? If yes, then definitely do so!
3. Now choose the top 1 – 3 projects in terms of priority and schedule some time to work on them over the next month. If you’re not sure about how long they’ll take, add some buffer time in.
   Keep chipping away at your list every month, and then every week.
4. Break out of overwhelm, might also help you as will Big, juicy goals which you get when you sign up for the Gold VIP Inner Circle.

Let me know if you need any further help!

Many people dream of owning their own business one day.

Some people actually take action in one form or another and get going. Others however, often feel stuck, and battle to get unstuck and get going.

These are the 3 main obstacles I’ve come across in my coaching:

1. Indecision
Most people know they want something different from their life but they don’t know what. Or they’re overwhelmed with choice.

Let’s face it - the internet age has opened all of us to SO MANY POSSIBILITIES. E.g. tonight I have session 2 of my How to become a professional organiser group coaching programme and I’ll be sitting in my study in Johannesburg and speaking to women all over the world. I get a real kick out of that.

Tip
Get really, really clear on what you want to do and who you want to work with before you even THINK about starting up.

2. Time
This is actually the biggest obstacle - “I don’t have time”

Rubbish! You have to make the time. That means choosing to write up your business goals over vegging in front of the TV

If your goal is big enough and exciting enough, then you’ll make and find the time.

If you need help with your time (both big picture and the nitty gritty stuff), then check out Help! I need more time.

3. Money
You don’t have to go ALL OUT when you start.

If your dream is to own your photography business, then keep your day job and start out by doing a course or two. Then buy a better camera.

Start taking pictures of your friends’ kids (birthday parties, portraits, etc.) and build up a following who will pay you.

Post your pictures on a free blog first before transitioning to a website. And so on!

If you’re currently stuck in corporate life, then check out Pamela Slim’s blog, Escape from cubicle nation.

Are you facing any or all of these obstacles? How are you overcoming them?

1. ANY action is better than inaction

God can only direct you if you’re on the open seas not when you’re stationed at the harbour

Facebook is a social networking site in case you’re one of the few people on the planet who hasn’t yet heard about it.

I actually got introduced to FB through a coaching client and my profile lay dormant until someone I’d met at a networking event added me to her friends. And so it grew

How am I using Facebook?

1. To find old friends from school and university
This is such great fun. I like to think I look the same but I know I’m definitely 10 kg heavier (!).

2. Introducing people to one another
I’ve found FB to be a GREAT place to mingle. I am good at this in real life - I often think, “oh, you should meet so-and-so” and I hook people up so I LOVE that I can now do it on Facebook too!

3. Keep track of my goals
The one application I love is On track. Suzanne and I will be meeting up in Scotland so she set that as a goal, invited me to be her accountability partner and so, of course, I had to put my whole trip on there too and plan out the action steps and deadlines.

4. Networking
When I add people as my friends, I generally add a message only if I don’t know them. So if I’ve exchanged a lot of email with someone, I don’t add a personal message unless I want to comment on their profile, like “great pic” or “didn’t know you lived in ________”.

However, if they don’t know me but I know of them (either through reading their newsletter/ blog/ listening to a teleclass/ etc.), I write a note and tell them how I know them. It just helps you feel like less of an internet stalker

5. Marketing my business
I’ve added applications that link to my organising blog, fleshed out my profile to display all my websites, and just recently started writing on other people’s walls with my full name and website URL.

So how are you using Facebook these days? If not, go create your free profile and add me to your friends.

This post was originally published in 2008

1. I decided to go out even though I felt like I should be working to try and catch up. Had a great evening and totally forgot about all my “problems”.
2. I printed out 10 of my master to do lists and used one page for each of my projects.
3. I wrote down every single little thing I had to do - phone x, send email to y, check z on website, etc, etc. Somehow seeing it all and getting it out of my head freed me.
4. The next day I had another blood test so had another short day. But this time, armed with my lists, I just focussed and ploughed through those lists.
5. I actually finished all those tasks in about 3 hours and was on track again.

So you see even a time management coach also goes through periods of overwhelm and craziness

How do you cope with overwhelm?

P.S. Check out how you can break out of overwhelm

Remember my last post on a quick way to find your passion?

I also thought I’d clarify just one thing. Usually your passion is expressed WHILE you are helping others.

Mindi mentioned to me once that she’d travel the world while taking photos Mindi happens to be a very talented photographer so I know they’d be gorgeous photos!

BTW, Mindi, sorry to pick on you, but I feel like doing some quick spot coaching…

Now, if she shared those photos with others and used them to inspire creativity (as she already does with me through her blog) or bring beauty to others, she’d be helping people in that way.

See? Easy!

Now over to you —>>

How would YOU most like to help people?

People often email me saying, “I don’t know what my dreams are” or “how do I find my passion”.

It’s something many thirty-somethings struggle with, the age-old, “is this all there is to life?” question

So today I thought I’d tell you a really, really quick way to get in the right direction of your passion.

If money, family and time were not a problem, how would you spend your time?

Most people then say they’d travel the world

If you’re one of those, then question 2 is this…

And after you’re done travelling the world, how would you then spend your time?

Leave your answers in the comments!

P.S. I usually do a 90-minute coaching session to help people discover their passion with a comprehensive assessment - this one question is not meant to replace that at all!

LOL

Sorry, I had to laugh. I have been in MANY situations like this too.

You can do things in a number of ways:

Direct and straightforward
Generally, my approach in life is to be direct, but in an office, I suggest trying another way first and only if, after numerous attempts, you don’t see a change, then you should be direct.

Office politics is alive and kicking, people, and if we spend 8 hours a day there, we don’t want to make it worse than it has to be, right?!

Clear but subtle
This is my preferred method.

I would pick my battles and only do this in the mornings, when I had a big and looming deadline, or at peak productive time.

Option 1

As you’re walking into the office, say good morning to everybody and then announce to Loud Colleague, “Okay, Jane, today I have LOTS of work to do so I’m going to sit here quietly and not move my butt until this is all done.”

Notice you haven’t said anything about how they are keeping you out of your work.

This works really well because…

1. it’s all about you so the other person won’t get defensive
2. they feel like they’re partnering with you to keep you working

Option 2
I’ve also just ignored the person and worked furiously and then when they say, “Marcia, are you listening?”, I can honestly say, “sorry, no, I really have to focus so I just blocked out all sounds”.

After a couple of these sessions, they start getting the hint that you can’t work and talk all the time.

Option 3
Use your iPod at work and pull your hair behind your ears so the earphones are clearly visible

This is actually more or less acceptable in offices these days. I personally don’t like it because I love the team vibe but in open-plan offices, you’ve got to do what you need to get things done.

Hope this helped!

How would you deal with this situation? Please share in the comments.

I know I need to eat better and exercise more but how do I actually make the switch from thinking to doing?

Yesterday, I had a client phone and ask me about my organising services. She has a home office and needed help getting all the paper and filing organised.

After a couple of minutes, she said to me, “are you passionate about this kind of work?”

I love paper organising and home offices, so I said, “YES, I actually am. That is my favourite type of organising.”

And we laughed.

So today I was at her house and she said, “do you remember I asked you if you were passionate about your work?” After I said yes (this is the first client who has asked me something like that so of course I remembered ;)), she said this…

“I resolved this year to only work with people who are passionate about what they’re doing”.

WOW! Isn’t that powerful?

I happen to agree with her because a passionate person brings a lot more energy and enthusiasm to your interaction - let’s face it, passion is inspiring and you just want to catch it!

Are you passionate about your work? How can you get more passion into your life?