Work schedules can quickly become overwhelming, leaving professionals feeling lost in a sea of tasks and commitments. A set of strategies to find a calming center and regain control can be helpful when navigating the feeling of “busyness” that plagues so many professionals.
To help, 19 Newsweek Expert Forum members share methods they use to help conquer stress and overwhelm and get themselves back on track. Read on for their practical steps to declutter your mind and schedule so you can move forward with clarity and purpose.
1. Delegate Tasks
Sometimes my to-do list expands because in the busyness of moving from meeting to meeting, I add follow-up items to my task list without considering whether I’ll have to be the one to complete the task. I examine my to-do list weekly to see what I need to do and what can be delegated to another team member. – LaKesha Womack, Womack Consulting Group
2. Practice Mindful Meditation
Addressing the root causes of feeling overwhelmed—not just the symptoms—is how you set yourself free and thrive. Mindfulness meditation works well because it creates a mental space where you can observe your thoughts and tasks without being consumed by them. By practicing even three minutes of mindfulness, you can center yourself, reduce stress, boost creativity and regain focus. – Sonja Wasden, Speaking Mental Health
3. Pause, Breathe and Then Reprioritize
Overwhelm can quickly lead to burnout when to-do list items pile up. To rid yourself of overwhelm and get back on track, press pause, breathe for several minutes and then review your list. Determine what tasks can be reprioritized, delegated, postponed or eliminated. Group tasks into high-impact chunks to reduce the number of items. Tackle the first task group to gain momentum. Repeat until done. – Lillian Gregory, The 4D Unicorn LLC
4. Avoid a Packed Schedule
Overwhelm is real when we have a packed schedule. Avoiding overwhelm begins before your schedule gets filled up. You should only schedule things that are aligned with your priority areas. When we allow others to schedule things for us, we are allowing them to determine our priorities and actions for the day. When this happens, we can’t focus on the tasks that we must do. – Donna Marie Cozine, Consult DMC
5. Stop, Triage and Plan
While it may seem counterintuitive, taking the time to stop, triage and plan saves hours in the long run. This strategy allows me to address my edited to-do list with a clear head. When I need to get back on track, I set aside 20 minutes to go through my inbox and declutter, snoozing things that are not time-sensitive and making sure that I tackle—or delegate—the most pressing issues. – Alexa Kimball, Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess
6. Step Away to Breathe
I learned that the more I don’t have time to meditate, the more that’s the time to do it anyway. When I am feeling my most overwhelmed and stressed about getting things done, nothing can increase my productivity more than stepping away for 15 minutes and breathing slowly. – Krisztina Veres, Veres Career Consulting
7. Use Time Blocking
I use the time blocking method, allocating specific hours of the day for exercising and relaxing. Additionally, I try to delegate and outsource tasks whenever possible and prioritize urgent and essential tasks. When you’re feeling overworked, it is key to lean on your team to create a dynamic and balanced schedule that allows you to maintain focus while keeping a work-life balance. – Gergo Vari, Lensa
8. Identify Your Must-Do Tasks
Prioritize your list. There are nice-to-do tasks and there are must-do critical tasks. First, ensure that the must-do critical tasks are done, or at least properly delegated and monitored. Some days a critical task may require 100% of your attention the whole time. On light days when you have some free time, you can then do your nice-to-do tasks. – Zain Jaffer, Zain Ventures
9. Envision How You Will Proceed
I normally have a five-minute foresight meditation, which is a brief period where I envision how I will conduct pending tasks and identify the feelings I will experience after accomplishing them. It is a technique centered on cognitive behavioral therapy where a person shifts the focus of their brain from being overwhelmed to positive outcomes. Aside from enhancing motivation by rehearsing success, it also prevents any form of stress from arising. – Dr. Kira Graves, Kira Graves Consulting
10. Operate on ‘Do Not Disturb’ Mode
I make it a point to inform everyone that I cannot be disturbed. I then turn off my phone and try to catch up on all the tasks that I’ve missed, especially when I’ve been away for a couple of days. It’s easy to get side-tracked and let things pile up during such times. Having peace and quiet is crucial for me on days like this so I can be productive. – Tammy Sons, Tn Nursery
11. Give Yourself a Mental Reset
Amidst a packed schedule and mounting to-do tasks, I prioritize meditation. As the old Zen saying goes, “Meditate for an hour every day unless you are too busy. In that case meditate for two hours.” This practice provides a mental reset that eases overwhelm and enhances focus, making me more effective when I return to my tasks. – Anna Yusim, MD, Yusim Psychiatry, Consulting & Executive Coaching
12. Take Action
Action is the key. The one thing I do is ask myself three questions: 1. Who can I delegate noncritical items to? 2. What are the priorities of what is left? 3. When can I block quiet time to work on them? – Chris Heller, OJO Labs
13. Use the One Thing Method
I use the one thing method. This involves asking myself what is the one thing, above all else, that needs to happen today to move the business forward. What one thing must get done that has meaningful results? Asking these questions will give you focus. If you focus on that one thing first, you can often create positive momentum that carries you forward. – Krista Neher, Boot Camp Digital
14. Minimize Distractions
To optimize my workspace, I prioritize minimizing distractions to avoid multitasking or using them as a coping mechanism for stress. I find it beneficial to segment tasks and organize them. I begin with a straightforward task that serves as a confidence booster, similar to a warmup, before diving into more demanding ones that require focused energy and concentration. – Leah Marone, Corporate Wellness Consultant
15. Break Tasks Into Smaller Steps
When my schedule is packed and overwhelm sets in, one thing I do to center myself is to prioritize and create a clear plan of action by breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps and setting realistic deadlines. This approach works well because it helps me focus on one task at a time, reduces anxiety and allows me to progress towards my goals in a structured and organized manner. – Alan Wozniak, Business Health Matters (BHM) Executive Consulting
16. Remember Your ‘Why’
When I’m the most overwhelmed, it’s often because I’m too focused on the “how” or the “what” and not enough on the “why.” There is an infinite amount of valuable—or even terribly urgent and important—work available to do at any given time. Remembering our mission helps clarify “what’s next” (in the words of President Bartlet of The West Wing) and I can then let go of what I must. – Bryan Boroughs, Institute for Child Success
17. Prioritize Your Self-Care
Putting time aside for self-care is an essential element for a highly productive person. We need that time to recharge our mental batteries so we can give quality effort back. If my schedule is full, I find that stepping away from my work, going outside and taking a leisurely walk around the block will reenergize me enough to clear my head and help me refocus to take on the tasks at hand. – Henry Kurkowski, eWireless
18. Give Your Brain a Break
There are times when I have to take a break from thinking and clear my head. I do that in different ways but getting some tea while looking through a magazine is one way. The magazine can’t be related to work though. It has to be something different like vacation spots, gardens, cooking or something similar. Taking just 15 minutes out of the norm does wonders to end the overwhelming feeling. – Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure
19. Practice Mindfulness
Practice mindfulness or meditation for a few minutes. It helps calm the mind, reduce stress and refocus on the present moment. A short break to meditate can improve concentration, enhance clarity in thinking and reset one’s emotional state. – Britton Bloch, Navy Federal
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.