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Writer's picturePaula F. Hill

Overwhelm Odyssey and what to do about it.


My In Box Grows, breeding overnight.

Some emails I can transport to the TRASH instantly. Others, I vow to Unsubscribe so they remain perturbing, until I get to that bullet point on the To Do List.

Opening others leads to an hour-long webinar. This morning, for example, I view the title, "A 60 second fix to your opt-in page." How on earth does a minute fix take an hour and two minutes to elaborate? Counterintuitive. I delete it in spite of my curiosity.

The OVERWHELM creeps in and at some point, in the next few minutes, scatters, like bird seed at a wedding, into my psyche and takes me beyond capacity. It overflows. I shut the laptop lid. Eat a handful of granola, drink another cup of coffee laced with enough maple syrup to keep me going for another half the day. I sweep the floor, take the dogs out and notice the piles in the yard needing attention, then the garbage can has to be sprayed, the car emptied from a shopping trip, the bird bath requires more water, the gravel under the shoes in the entry catches my eye. Decluttering makes me feel VERY happy. I'm ever-so-much-more productive completing the easy stuff. The I-don't-know-what-the -f$*#)@-I'm-doing can wait.

The Project I so need to complete is wafting in the background, awaiting a fix. She cries out. She whimpers. She shakes her head to make a noise like a rattle of dog tags in the wee hours. I hear it but don't want to respond, not even to yawn, for fear it will continue when she realizes there's an audience. Project waits, though, because she's a STAR. She produces greatness. She brings hope and momentum for a better future. Attention in the industry. More fire in my belly. Far more potential decluttering clients.

A deep breath helps me ignore the other unresolved messes coming into my peripheral vision as I make my way back to the drawing board. The deadline is clambering. Presentation screaming for a dress rehearsal. I take a minute, considering the last time an event worked out when I hadn't expected it. The results were amazing and I soared for a time. I put on my new taupe pumps, stand tall, set my alarm for three minutes, arms outstretched overhead in "Victory" and smile.

I shut down a webinar, head to the unwanted emails, unsubscribe from ten, close itunes, then open the tab needing my attention. I set the alarm on my cell for one hour and plow.

No more Mr Nice Guy, he’s not invited to the meeting.

It takes less than an hour to redeem myself. I feel satisfied, clear, ready, my mind free of clutter.

It's far easier to let OVERWHELM ride in and take control. However, when the work gets done, things get sorted, the sensation of success and greatness can reverberate for a very long time.

Do you have a method to the Project Madness you’d like to share?

I’d love to hear it. Please comment.

Share if you care, and thank you!

Love, Paula


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