Feeling Overwhelmed?

Make a list.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Feel like you have too many things to do and there just isn't enough time in the day to get them done? I think we all feel like that sometimes. I know I do.

When I'm in one of those moments, the first thing I do is pause and reflect. Then, I make a list of all the things I need to do. After that, I start organizing and prioritizing. Then, I make a plan to get it done.

Yesterday, I shared about my daughter Eleanor and her adventure making eggs. Well, shortly after that adventure, she was back at it again. But this time she’s had some experience. She kind of knew what she was doing.

She came downstairs. She wanted eggs for breakfast, so she talked with her sister Julia, who was doing the dishes, and they agreed to make some eggs.

I’m sitting on the couch with Sadie, reading, and Oliver is making coffee. All of a sudden, Sadie says, “Hey, can I have some eggs?” So Eleanor goes back to the fridge and grabs more eggs. Then I say, “Hey, can I have some eggs?” So she goes back again and grabs even more eggs.

Then I asked her, “What are you going to have with that?”
She said, “Bacon.”
I said, “I want bacon too.”
Sadie jumped in, “I also want bacon.”
Ellie said, “Toast too.”
I said, “I want toast too.”
And then I asked, “Have you started making the bacon?”
She said, "No."

I told her, “Baby, you might want to start making the bacon before you cook the eggs, so it’s all ready at the same time and we can eat together.”

So, she started to get the bacon. Then Julia said she didn’t want any eggs. And Eleanor said, “I can’t keep up. I have too many things to do.”

She was feeling overwhelmed. She knew she wanted to do something, and she just started doing it.

I reminded her of what we did together the last time we made eggs. We started by figuring out how many eggs and bacon we needed to cook by asking who wanted some. Then we made a list of ingredients and tools, and gathered them: Eggs, milk, salt, pepper, bread, butter, toast, pan, spatula, whisk, toaster, sheet tray, aluminum foil, and bacon.

Then, we ordered the list. We started with the bacon to cook it first. Then, we cracked the eggs and mixed them with the milk, salt, and pepper. When the bacon was done, we cooked the eggs and popped the toast in the toaster.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a kid or an adult. At some point in your life, you’re going to feel overwhelmed. You’ll be doing something new that you don’t have much experience with, and you might just start doing it without thinking it through.

When that happens, it helps to take a step back.

Reflect.
Make a list.
Organize.
Prioritize.
Make a plan.

And then get back to work.

Peace & Love,

Jeff Mayhugh