Would it sound stupid to you if I’d ask you to “think simple”? Probably yes, but let me shed some light first…

Our brain gets easily overwhelmed. Strange, I know, since it’s our most developed and not fully understood part of our body! Physical and metal clutter limit our brain’s ability to process information, makes us distracted and wears down our mental resources. When you have a lot of things going on around you or in your head, your brain doesn’t get the chance to process everything and in no time you become awful at filtering information, ‘multitasking’ or keeping a strong working memory.

What type of pasta do you buy?

Let me give you a quick example of brain overwhelm… we’ve all been to a supermarket and let’s say we want to buy pasta. When confronted with loads of choices, we get very confused and it’s really hard to make a decision. But when we have 4-5 choices, it’s a lot easier to pick the one you like.

Crazy, right? Here it is, the most developed species on the planet struggling to pick pasta!

This is a well-researched principle and all the supermarkets apply it every day – no more than 5 products of a particular type on the same shelf.

It all comes down to…

Did you know that feeling overwhelmed, stressed, worried are the things robbing you most of your energy? All of this affects….yes, you’ve guessed it…your PRODUCTIVITY!

Hmm…let’s see! You’re overwhelmed, lacking energy, not focused or productive … you’ve basically just flushed down the toilet your dreams, aspirations, your new business idea, the wealthy life you want to provide for your family, just because you never take action! Does that sound strangely familiar?

We’re all here to learn, read, improve ourselves, to get out of that boring routine and make something better of our life! A great place to start is clearing our mental desk, start a new.

Brain Dump Exercise

Take out a piece a paper and pen.

Allow yourself 20 minutes to write down everything on your mind, the things you’re trying to avoid, not to think about. Write everything, in no particular order, from your personal life, relationships, work, family, etc. EVERYTHING that comes to mind!

Go through the list and cross out the things you can’t do nothing about. For example, you’re feeling distressed a family member is not well. Acknowledge the effect this has on you, that there’s nothing in your power you can do and don’t let it drag you down every minute. Consciously let it go. Plus, you’d probably want to be someone they can relay on, moral and emotional support, not a worrying mess!

Go through the list again and next to the things you can do something about, add an action point. For example, you’re embarrassed you had no time to reach out to a friend in need. Action point > call and arrange to meet. Prioritise your action points starting with your biggest concerns and put a plan in place to deal with it. Set up a time and date when you’ll take that action and most importantly, stick to it!

Let me tell you … it’s a very relieving sensation to look at that list and feel you will sort everything out. You don’t need to feel overwhelmed, embarrassed or guilty because you’ve got it all handled. What I learned myself not too long ago is that when you’re feeling overwhelmed, that means you don’t have a system and you’re not taking action. Adapt, evolve, grow – we’re all on this journey together….

See you! 🙂