Overwhelmed: How to Deal with a Super Demanding Lifestyle

If you’re a goal-oriented woman with big plans for your life, something that automatically comes with being a boss is having moments when you’re completely overwhelmed. You’re not doing it on purpose. It’s just that your to-do list looks one way on paper, but feels completely different as you try and cram it all into a 24-hour schedule.

You know you hate how being overwhelmed makes you feel. You’re tired. You’re frustrated. You’re irritable. And all of this makes it hard to focus so that you can get things done.

We feel you. Oh, how we feel you.

There are some lil’ life hacks that can help to make things easier when you have a demanding schedule. Just keep in mind that they won’t do you much good if you only read them. You’ve got to follow through. But if you do, you’ll be a new woman. No matter what comes at you.

1. Have daily goals

I want to be famous. I want to be rich. I want to run my own company. These are all lofty goals. They’re also pretty generalized. No one is able to accomplish big things without doing some smaller ones first. You need to set daily goals to get you to the end result that you want. There are apps that can help you to do that. Click here to read about some of them. 

2. Put your phone on "do not disturb"

Your phone has a voice mail and texting feature for a reason. And a purpose. Don’t put yourself under the unnecessary pressure of thinking that you have to answer every call. Not only will that eventually stress you out, but it will also keep you from getting a lot done because many of the people on the other line will want something too. There’s a simple solution. Set your phone to “do not disturb” and then choose some favorites like your spouse or kids (so that they can break in). This tip alone will take your blood pressure down a few notches.

3. Set business hours

Someone once said “I gave up my 9-to-5 so that I could work 24 hours a day.” Ask an entrepreneur how much truth there is to that statement and they’re going to totally agree. You may not be able to work only eight hours a day in order to get things done, but that doesn’t mean you need to do 12-14 hours either. Sleep is a priority. Eating is a priority. Doing something for yourself is too. You need to make time for what you need. That’s the only way you’re going to be able to do others any good.

4. Take breaks throughout the day

This brings us to taking breaks throughout the day. Walk outside for 10 minutes. Have a cup of decaf  or a green juice (the more caffeine you consume, the more jittery you’ll feel!). Take a power nap (there’s proof that they help to energize you; all you need is 15 minutes and you’re all set). To say that you have no time for a break is to say to your mind, body and spirit that they don’t deserve a breather. Nothing could be further from the truth.

5. Make a vacation a priority

If your life is demanding, guess what? It DEMANDS a vacation! Studies prove that vacations improve your quality of health, help you to emotionally connect with loved ones, reduce stress and anxiety, increases your mental power and reduces your chances of burn out so you can be more productive once you do return to the grind. Is your budget kind of tight right now? Click here for tips on how to save money on your next trip.

6. Say "no" sometimes

Sometimes our emotions let us know when we’re doing more than we should. Case in point. When’s the last time you said “no” to someone? Not rudely or abruptly. Not without thinking your "no" through. But no nonetheless. You can’t do everything and you shouldn’t feel guilty about that. If you can’t give your all to something, if it’s going to cause you to break a promise you’ve already made or it’s going to be bad for you physically or emotionally to say “yes”, no is the best answer to give. No question.

7. Be realistic about your priorities

A priority, by definition, means that some things are more important than others. This means you can’t have 15 priorities at once. Around three is probably your max. Take care of those first, then deal with all of the rest. So much as what’s essential is addressed, the rest will be a lot easier to deal with. You won’t feel quite so overwhelmed.