Do you ever feel overwhelmed because there is so much to do – so you do nothing? If this is true you are not alone in feeling this way!

It’s real easy to use the excuse (and, yes, it is an excuse) of feeling overwhelmed to not do anything. Or, to just do small unimportant tasks so at least you’re keeping busy.

I’ve found in my work with small business owners and in my own business that the absolute best question to ask when feeling overwhelmed and/or stressed is this – “What is the next action?”

Or, “What is one thing I can do toward completing this project?” When you have the answer…

…do it, now!

The key is to take some action. It may feel small but what happens when you keep taking small actions is that the project miraculously gets done! And usually in less time than you thought it would take. You will also find your confidence increasing with each action that you take. The opposite is to do nothing and then beat yourself up because nothing is getting done and you’re always feeling behind.

Every uncompleted project has weight. Heavy weight. Perhaps not physical weight; but certainly emotional. It weighs on you in the office and out of the office.

Confidence Action Step:
Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left write down all of your uncompleted projects/tasks. On the right side write down just one action you can do toward each project. Then number the list on the left side in importance and then do the action step for the most important project.

When that action step is done ask yourself what is the next thing you can do?

…do that task and keep going!

Keep taking action one step at a time. You will be amazed at how your productivity will increase and how good you will feel!

Happy New Year!