Overcoming “Faux”verwhelm By Debbie Ellison Seen the top of your worktable lately?
When was the last time you could zero in on that sample board you did
last week? Your creative mind is spinning with your latest idea or epiphany
and running frantically around that wild imagination of yours. You’re
tripping over the heap of projects scattered all over your floor. You’re
stressed out, unfocused, and, heaven forbid, exhausted! Gaining control of your life and your work schedule and setting ground rules for yourself can help ease overwhelm. Learning to relax and decrease your stress level can make your life easier. Being in control means that you decide what goes on in your life instead of life controlling you. It is a question of, who is the master and who the slave (yes, you have a choice)! Do You Schedule Appointments or Disappointments? Overwhelm runs rampant when jobs are scheduled unrealistically. Set appointments and jobs for realistic times and when traffic is not so frantic. Plan your day around your natural energy flow. If you’re a night person, schedule jobs a little later and work a little later. If you’re a morning person, begin and end earlier. Allow extra time to get to your job so you won’t be rushing and flustered when you arrive. Estimate accurately the number of days needed to complete your jobs so you can do them well and not feel overwhelmed and rushed. Break projects into small steps. Estimate, and stick to, starting and stopping times. While driving to your job, mentally rehearse the day. Visualize your perfect day with the perfect client (yes, they’re out there somewhere). Do You Have an Order Disorder? Be a clutter buster and free up space in your physical surroundings and your life. You will be amazed how energized, gratified, and free you feel when you de-clutter. Not only does it free space around you, it frees space inside your head and your heart. Clutter is the enemy of creativity. Clearing space in your brain and your life leaves an opening for creativity and allows optimal energy flow throughout your home, office, and life. Gather all your paperwork throughout your office and work area or studio and put it all in a box. Set up files with specific categories – bank statements, client information, advertising, etc. - and notebooks for specific projects and information by subject. Go through your box, one paper at a time. You have three choices - file it, act on it, or throw it away. If you should, maybe, or probably will use, it, it goes in the trash. This works great with closets and work areas too. Set up three boxes – keep it, give it away, throw it away. Be generous in your giving and throwing. Keep only necessities (yes, you can live without that paper heart your second grade boyfriend gave you). What you decide to keep, put neatly back in its appropriate place. Take your throw-away box to the dumpster (quickly before you weaken!). Stash the give-away box in your car trunk to be taken the next day (if not sooner) to your favorite charity. Be strong and unrelenting in your cleaning. Perform projects in a systematic manner. Begin by clearing off your desk or workspace so that you only have one task in front of you at a time. Put all other projects in separate boxes or crates. Gather all the information and work materials you need to complete your current project. Have them at hand so you can reach them without getting up or moving. The most productive people create a work area where they enjoy spending time. The cleaner your work area is, the easier it is to get begin a project and keep going. Taking time to prepare and have everything at hand will save time later. Once you begin, keep going until the job is finished. Pamper, Don’t Tamper. Taking care of yourself physically and emotionally is important to prevent burnout and overwhelm. Eat three light meals a day, drink plenty of water, and get plenty of exercise and rest. Be childlike (not childish). Don’t take life so seriously. Let loose occasionally; even on a job, you can have fun. Like children, you can bring play, fun, and ease into your work environment. Playing is rejuvenating and restores the passion for life that you’ve been too busy to enjoy. List activities you enjoy and find ways to fit these activities into your immediate and long-term schedule. Children have excessive energy, but when tired, they rest. Set aside a time for napping or just taking a few minutes of quiet time every day to meditate, write, think, or pray. Even on a job, you can take a few minutes to relax and re-energize. Take a break at least every hour. Step outside or go for a short walk. Take time to actually sit and eat your lunch instead of juggling a sandwich in one hand and a paintbrush in the other. Whenever possible, get eight hours of sleep. Peak performance depends on it. When you wake up, take a few minutes to visualize your day, imagining it exactly the way you would like it to be. Each morning, motivate yourself by reading an inspiring quote or passage; listening to upbeat, positive music; exercise or stretching; or doing something that pumps you up. Separate work time from personal and family time. If you
work at home (or even if you have an outside studio), it is important
to set specific times when you work and when you don't. Keep both a work
schedule and personal schedule on one calendar. Allow plenty of time for
both. You don’t have to answer every phone call (your answering
machine and caller ID have to have something to do). Don't let the phone
interrupt meals or personal time; most calls really can wait. Answer calls
only during specified work times. You’re not “on” 24/7.
Be adamant about your personal time and don’t worry about missing
a potential client (that’s why you’re overwhelmed); they will
call back. Timeless Management Make a to-do list and cross things off as you do them.
Prepare your list each evening and do only what’s on your list.
What you don’t complete goes on the next day’s list. Give
yourself permission to decide not to do a task on your list. Also make
a “to do someday” list for things you want to do, but know
you won’t do anytime soon. Winding Down It can be difficult to transition from work time to personal time. Ease into the evening. On your way home, review the day. Focus on what went right instead of what went wrong. Mentally plan and prepare for the next day. Visualize a wonderful evening, a nice, quiet dinner with your family, or however that would occur for you. Visualize it being the best experience possible. Upon arriving home, and before starting dinner or other evening tasks, take a few minutes to rest, enjoy some quiet time, take a shower (or better yet, a bubble bath – “real” men can do this too), or whatever helps you relax. Attack Anxiety Before it Attacks You If you are afraid in a situation, take several deep breaths and imagine the worst that might happen. How would you deal with that? Most of our worries never materialize, so you’ve wasted all that precious space in your head. As Mark Twain said, “I have been through some terrible times in my life, some of which actually happened.” You can also imagine that the thing you fear is happening to someone else. What could you tell them to put them at ease? Write it down and read it to yourself. A trained counselor can also help you identify and alleviate your anxieties. Your breath is the one thing that is always with you, so utilize its healing power. One of the simplest and best ways to counteract stress is to breathe deeply and slowly. Try this simple exercise you can do anytime and anyplace. Close your eyes and breathe in to the count of 4, then breathe out to the count of 4. The in-breath should be the same length as the out-breath. Try to breathe from your diaphragm. Place your hand on your stomach. Your stomach should expand as you breathe in, and contract as you breathe out. Try to breathe through your nose. Repeat three or four times. It’s so simple, but it really works! Now that you’re overcoming overwhelm, you can lead a creative and uncluttered life. “Faux”verwhelm is not where you thrive and grow. Get over it!! ________________________________________________________ Susie Goldenberg owns Paintin' the Town, Faux, a faux finishing showroom and Atlanta’s premier school for decorative finishes. She has been a professional decorative artist for 13 years and teaches classes at her school and from coast to coast. Contact her at Susie@PaintinTheTown.com. ___________________________________________________________ This article may be shared with
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