112: 6 Ways to Remove Overwhelm in Your Design Business
112: 6 Ways to Remove Overwhelm in Your Design Business
with Michele Williams
Have you ever been in a place where you were getting all the jobs you wanted and dreamed of? All you have been working for. And the challenge is that it all came in at once – and now you are completely overwhelmed. Maybe you can feel your heart rate speeding up and a light sweat breaking out even as I say these words. Well, if so – this is the podcast for you. We are going to talk about how to manage and overcome the overwhelm in your business.
Topics Mentioned:
To-do List
Priority
Delegation
Boundaries
Listen to the Episode
So, I am getting call after call from successful business owners who are overwhelmed. Perhaps you all thought that designers only call me when they are in trouble financially. And some do – but by and large, successful business owners call me when they are so successful that they feel like they are drowning.
In today’s podcast, I am going to share with you 6 steps to managing and overcoming overwhelm in your business (and life). Grab a pen and paper – because you might want to take a few notes.
Stop, pause, and breathe.
Seriously. Stop right now and take 3 deep cleansing breaths. Take the oxygen deep into your lungs. Go on. Put your hand on your belly and fill it expand as you breathe deeply. Why am I asking you to do this? Because it creates not only a calming effect, but it oxygenates your blood, which feeds your brain and allows you to think more clearly.
When we feel stress, we tend to shallow breathe. And while we can do this for a bit, if not careful, it becomes our default way of breathing. And this leads to low oxygen, tiredness, and the ability to hyperventilate more easily.
I have been to many professionals during times of stress – and every time I was told that my breathing was shallow, and I realized that I had a habit of this. Now, I take more time to stop. Close my eyes and be present in the moment and to just relax and breathe.
When and if you get stuck on any of the following points. Come back to this as #1. I try to do this at a minimum in the morning and again after lunch. If 3 breaths are not enough to create some calm and relaxation – do more.
2. Take stock of what needs to be done.
You know that question about if your brain was a computer, how many tabs would you have open? Well, I bet if you are like me and other highly creative people then your tab bar is full. Not even kidding, I met with a business owner a few weeks ago, and she brought her computer. Every tab she had was open, it seemed. For real, there were at least 30 open tabs at the top. I felt overwhelmed, just looking at her browser.
How do we clear this clutter? Write it all down.
Personally, I got rid of my paper to-do list and moved to Asana. While I have some of my work in folders in Asana – I love the basic To-Do task list. Just writing down everything flowing through my head allows me to see what is in front of me and what needs to be done. I can then go in and put any date dependencies in. This allows me to forget it for now and focus on what is most important.
I also can let my brain rest because I have not forgotten anything. There are two tabs that always stay open on my desktop during a business day. My calendar and Asana.
When I keep all the to-do’s in my head they seem to swirl, become overwhelming and morph into bigger and more difficult problems. My mind is so focused on not forgetting these issues that it has no capacity to solve them.
When I have them written and only allow my brain to focus on the next ones in line to be worked on, the capacity to solve the problems expands, and it does not feel as difficult. My problem-solving skills are highly trained on one thing at a time.
3. Set your boundaries and mindset.
This is, in my opinion, one of the most important and somewhat difficult steps. It requires us to take action in a different way.
When we set boundaries, we are saying, in effect, here is the safe areas that I can work. Boundaries may be around your location, your time, and your thoughts. This is why I grouped it with mindset.
What we do and what we think, and who we let have access to us matters. Here are some healthy boundaries I have created in my business:
I spend the first hour in my business working on MY business. Not client-facing work. This allows me to clear my head, move my business forward and make sure that the business will be sustainable. After my hour focusing on Scarlet Thread Consulting, I can focus on my clients for the rest of the day with ease. When I try to do this the opposite way, I find that I spend the entire day putting out fires or solving problems for everyone but my own business. This boundary is not selfish – it is actually taking care of the very resource that is instrumental in solving your client problems – your business.
Another boundary I have is around interruptions. I have all of my notifications and dings on my computer shut off. I don’t need to know about it. When I have scheduled time to check my social media and email, it will all be there. And those dings drive me crazy. Try it. Shut it all down. You will be able to focus instead of reacting like Pavlov’s dog when you hear every ding. And this reduces FOMO.
Boundary three is part of the tab conversation. I try not to have any tabs open that I am not actively working in. This clears my online space to work.
I also set a boundary in what I allow to go through my mind. This is where mindset comes in. I write affirmations for difficult challenges I need to face. This gives me confidence and strength to move forward. If I am working on something and another to-do comes into my mind, I jump over to the Asana tab – make a note of it – then go back to what I was doing. I don’t go chasing that issue at that time unless it is absolutely critical to what I am working on. This takes discipline. I also take note of how I feel: happy, sad, fearful, stressed. Then I try to ask myself to identify the feeling, why I might be feeling it, and the truth or lie behind it. All of this helps me stay in some control of my thoughts and actions.
4. Focus on the ONE next thing.
When I have my list of things to do dumped into my project management application, I start analyzing them. Removing them from floating in my head to writing them down makes them separate from me – and I feel the separation. Now I can easily assess them all in visual form and start making decisions.
Usually, I do what I believe is most important, which is either driven by due date or because it is the one action with the most trickle-down actions, and it will reduce my stress the most.
At this time, I also identify what I think the next action will be when this one is completed. Notice I said what I think.
When I complete the one action in front of me, I look over my list and affirm that what I planned to do next is most important or significant and do that – while also, at that time, choosing the next item. If I think that I need to reorganize or rearrange my priorities based on other dependencies or needs, then I do that. Hold this list lightly and let it guide you – but don’t feel like you are owned by your to-do list.
One other BIG consideration, I look at everything I wrote down and often ask myself, what will happen if I don’t do it – or if I don’t do it by my preplanned due date? If the consequences are low or none – I may either push out the date or just take it off of my list and not do it at all.
As entrepreneurs, we can often find ourselves creating busy work and not focusing on the most important work. You are in charge of the to-do list. Make it work for you.
5. Delegate.
Give work away. Everything that needs to be done might need to be done. But it does not have to be done by you. As you grow your business, there will be no way for you to do it all alone. To delegate is to give the work to the best resource to get it done well. Educate them and set expectations, and let it go.
You might want to consider Upwork, or some other similar resources for hiring. This could be an employee or simply a contractor with an expertise that you don’t have. Your time is important, and it needs to be spent on the most important work. Not the busy work or the items that are not in your wheelhouse.
6. Constantly evaluate.
Businesses shift and change. If the business model you have been working under no longer serves you, change it. Change your pricing and perhaps your pricing structure—up-level your ideal client and marketing materials. Look for ways to work less and produce more or better and make more money.
We are constantly evaluating and analyzing our businesses for maximum potential. Don’t let the overwhelm shut you down. Remember, good is the enemy of best. Choose the best work and clients for where you are. You don’t have to say YES to everything. Go back and review your WHY and your company values and strengths. Choose the best, yes, for now.
Let’s go back to raise your prices. When all the work is coming in, and you are overwhelmed, raise your prices. This usually indicates demand is high. You still want them to be fair and reasonable for all, but when you are in demand, the prices go up. When supply is more than demand, prices go down. Use this model.
This is also a great time to be able to articulate the value that you and your firm bring to the table. Know who you are and what you do and how great you do it. Express that to your ideal client. It will resonate with them if you are using their language – and they will be willing to pay to get the outcome and transformation you promise.
Know what it currently costs you to do business. Your resources may cost more, and that needs to be passed along in your pricing. Your service levels may be up due to the supply chain disruptions—price for it. If you are pricing like you were in March, yet having to do so much more in calls, follow up and service for your clients now, you are losing money.
Overwhelm is real, and it can stop you in your tracks. But it does not have to. Recognize when it is coming and when you are there. Go through the steps we just outlined. And if it is still too much, get assistance. Reach out to me at www.ScarletThreadconsulting.com. Helping businesses alleviate the overwhelm and scale with ease is my superpower. Let’s do this together! Plan for growth and profit – because it doesn’t happen by accident.
Key Thoughts:
Take more time to stop, close my eyes, be present in the moment, relax and breathe. Michele (3:35)
Just writing everything down and allowing it to flow out of my head. Michele (5:44)
Shut it all down, turn off all notifications. Michele (10:15)
Reorganize or rearrange based on priorities. Michele (16:13)
Constantly evaluate. Michele (18:42)
Contact Michele:
Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting
Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL
References and Resources:
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