{"id":7380,"date":"2011-09-12T19:43:26","date_gmt":"2011-09-13T03:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=7380"},"modified":"2013-09-12T13:54:27","modified_gmt":"2013-09-12T21:54:27","slug":"5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps to Get Back on Top of Things When Life is Busy"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/a>
\nDo you feel like you\u2019ve got way too much to do, and not enough time to do it in?<\/p>\n

Perhaps you find yourself getting upset, angry or despondent at times, feeling as though life is spiraling out of your control. It\u2019s not a good state to be in \u2013 and you know that. But breaking away from those panicked feelings can be tough.
\nHere\u2019s a few simple steps that can help you get back on top of things.
\n #1: Take a Quick Time-Out<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s important to take a few minutes to breathe and focus. If you\u2019re in the middle of a stressful situation \u2013 perhaps the house is a complete mess, or work is a huge, chaotic rush \u2013 then it\u2019s hard to get any perspective.
\nGo for a quick walk, grab a shower, or just sit still with your eyes closed for a few minutes. Give yourself a chance to calm down, before you start trying to plan.
\n #2: Make a List<\/strong>
\nOnce you\u2019re feeling calmer, grab a piece of paper, or open up a document on your computer, and make a list of everything that you think you need to get done. If something\u2019s on your mind, put it down \u2013 however big or small.
\nYour list may well have some urgent items (\u201cclean kitchen before mother-in-law visits tomorrow\u201d) and some which are more long-term, but important (\u201close 50lbs and get fitter\u201d).
\nOnce you\u2019ve got everything out of your head and onto paper, you\u2019ll feel a lot better. Hopefully, you\u2019ll already be able to see some items that can wait a while and others that can be checked off quickly. You might even want to start sorting or prioritizing your list, to make the next couple of steps easier.
\n #3: Start With Small Wins<\/strong>
\nObviously, making a list isn\u2019t going to get you far. (As a kid, did you ever make an elaborate, color-coded study plan for your exams? Did you actually stick to it?)
\nYou need to start taking action \u2013 and a great place to begin is by tackling any \u201csmall wins\u201d \u2013 simple, quick tasks that you can do straight away. They might not be especially important, but by doing them, you\u2019ll start to build up a sense of momentum.
\nSmall wins are especially powerful when they relate to tasks that you\u2019ve been putting off \u2013 a phone call, perhaps, or sending off a letter.
\n #4: Ditch, Delegate, Delay<\/strong>
\nIf your list still looks overwhelming, then it\u2019s time to get rid of some tasks.
\nCan you ditch anything? Perhaps you don\u2019t really need fresh-baked cookies for when your parents visit \u2013 you could just buy a packet from the store.
\nCan you delegate anything? If you\u2019re overloaded at work, can you get a colleague to take over a few tasks? If you\u2019re the one who does all the housework at home, how about assigning specific chores to your partner or kids?
\nCan you delay anything? If you\u2019re rushing to get everything done before you head off on vacation, can you put off some things until you get back?
\n #5: Take Care of Your Health<\/strong>
\nFinally, when you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed by life, it\u2019s especially important to take care of your health. You know all the basics:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Eat sensibly \u2013 don\u2019t skip meals because you\u2019re \u201ctoo busy\u201d, or grab junk food.
\n\u2022 Exercise regularly \u2013 even a 20-minute brisk walk every day can make a huge difference.
\n\u2022 Get enough sleep \u2013 cutting back won\u2019t make you more productive, as you\u2019ll end up slowing down during the day
\nIf you get sick, you\u2019re going to find it even harder to get things done \u2013 so make sure that your health is a priority.
\nWhat tips do you have for dealing with overwhelm? How do you get back on top of things when life is hectic?<\/p>\n

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain On Twitter!<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Articles:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

How To Increase Self Discipline<\/a><\/p>\n

How To Motivate Yourself<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perhaps you find yourself getting upset, angry or despondent at times, feeling as though life is spiraling out of your control. It\u2019s not a good state to be in \u2013 and you know that. But breaking away from those panicked feelings can be tough. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":7381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[17,6],"tags":[463,1622,1621,66,4639,4629],"yoast_head":"\n5 Steps to Get Back on Top of Things When Life is Busy - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Perhaps you find yourself getting upset, angry or despondent at times, feeling as though life is spiraling out of your control. It\u2019s not a good state to be in \u2013 and you know that. But breaking away from those panicked feelings can be tough. Here\u2019s a few simple steps that can help you get back on top of things.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Steps to Get Back on Top of Things When Life is Busy - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Perhaps you find yourself getting upset, angry or despondent at times, feeling as though life is spiraling out of your control. It\u2019s not a good state to be in \u2013 and you know that. But breaking away from those panicked feelings can be tough. Here\u2019s a few simple steps that can help you get back on top of things.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-09-13T03:43:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-09-12T21:54:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Screen-shot-2011-09-12-at-6.49.57-PM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"401\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"267\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Screen-shot-2011-09-12-at-6.49.57-PM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Screen-shot-2011-09-12-at-6.49.57-PM.png\",\"width\":\"401\",\"height\":\"267\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/\",\"name\":\"5 Steps to Get Back on Top of Things When Life is Busy - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-09-13T03:43:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-09-12T21:54:27+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"Perhaps you find yourself getting upset, angry or despondent at times, feeling as though life is spiraling out of your control. It\u2019s not a good state to be in \u2013 and you know that. But breaking away from those panicked feelings can be tough. Here\u2019s a few simple steps that can help you get back on top of things.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"5 Steps to Get Back on Top of Things When Life is Busy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\",\"name\":\"Erin Falconer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Erin Falconer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5 Steps to Get Back on Top of Things When Life is Busy - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"Perhaps you find yourself getting upset, angry or despondent at times, feeling as though life is spiraling out of your control. It\u2019s not a good state to be in \u2013 and you know that. But breaking away from those panicked feelings can be tough. Here\u2019s a few simple steps that can help you get back on top of things.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5 Steps to Get Back on Top of Things When Life is Busy - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","og_description":"Perhaps you find yourself getting upset, angry or despondent at times, feeling as though life is spiraling out of your control. It\u2019s not a good state to be in \u2013 and you know that. But breaking away from those panicked feelings can be tough. Here\u2019s a few simple steps that can help you get back on top of things.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_published_time":"2011-09-13T03:43:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-09-12T21:54:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":"401","height":"267","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Screen-shot-2011-09-12-at-6.49.57-PM.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@pickthebrain","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erin Falconer","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Screen-shot-2011-09-12-at-6.49.57-PM.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Screen-shot-2011-09-12-at-6.49.57-PM.png","width":"401","height":"267"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/","name":"5 Steps to Get Back on Top of Things When Life is Busy - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2011-09-13T03:43:26+00:00","dateModified":"2013-09-12T21:54:27+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5"},"description":"Perhaps you find yourself getting upset, angry or despondent at times, feeling as though life is spiraling out of your control. It\u2019s not a good state to be in \u2013 and you know that. But breaking away from those panicked feelings can be tough. Here\u2019s a few simple steps that can help you get back on top of things.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-steps-to-get-back-on-top-of-things-when-life-is-busy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5 Steps to Get Back on Top of Things When Life is Busy"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5","name":"Erin Falconer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Erin Falconer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7380"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7380\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}