The well known phrase 'if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail', attributed to Benjamin Franklin, shows great insight. What's great about this is that we know that by making a good, well-thought-out plan, we are more likely to succeed. We all want to be the best that we can be and planning is key.
There are times when we just feel stuck in our personal or professional life.
It could be with an important decision you are struggling to make. There may be a particular challenge or complex situation which just leaves you confused. You may feel unfulfilled with your life in general or ready for a change and just don't have the confidence to move forward.
How do you generally feel at the start of your day?
Do you usually feel focused with total clarity about what you are going to achieve that day?
OR
Do you jump straight into dealing with tasks, appointments and emails with a feeling of panic because you have too much to do?
I suspect that for many it is the latter!
I have had some really positive feedback this week from people who have completed the 'Review your year workbook'. It is great to hear that this resource has helped with the process of review, and with setting goals for 2017.
So, you have spent time reviewing last year and have come up with some amazing goals for 2017. You are full of good intentions and you really do want to reach your goals.
But what happens next?
Do you ever feel stuck? Do you find it hard to focus on what you really need to do? Perhaps you feel like you are on a treadmill going through the day's activities without real clarity and purpose?
This has been my experience recently. I struggled to complete a task which I usually enjoy doing and I didn't know why. Instead I got distracted doing other tasks and felt frustrated that I hadn't achieved what I had set out to do.
After some soul searching and reflection, I discovered what was going on for me and how to move forward. The solution was quite clear!
For most of us life is busy with constant juggling of our work, life and family commitments. There are times when there is just too much going on. Perhaps work is particularly busy, family activities build up or there are unforeseen events which need our attention.
It is during these times, when there is too much going and we do not feel in control, that we begin to feel overwhelmed, and this causes stress.
When we lay awake at night thinking about what needs to be done, or can't focus on what needs our attention, we are not functioning at our best.
The good news is that there are things which you can do to help you take control of overwhelm and get back on track.