Do You Feel Overwhelmed?

Do you feel overwhelmed — like you’re drowning? Are you being pulled in a million directions, unsure of which way to turn? Can you recall the last time you took a breather? What’s triggering these feelings, and what steps are you taking to address them?

If life feels like a roller coaster, and you’re holding on to your sanity for dear life, it’s time to take control. After all, there are no dress rehearsals in life.

10 Strategies to Gain Greater Control Over Your Life

You have one life to live. Embrace it, shape it, and take ownership of each page in your life story.

Here are 10 strategies to gain greater control over your life:

Invest your time rather than spending it. Those who waste the most time are usually the first to complain of having too little.

Do what matters most. It’s less important to get everything done than to get the right things done.

Make hard choices. If you treat everything equally — or spread your resources too thin — your priorities won’t get the attention that they deserve.

Create a don’t do list. Subtracting from your to-do list is as important as adding to it.

Learn to say no. There’s a fine line between trying to please others so much that your own needs aren’t being met.

Your mindset matters more than you think. Do you spend more time stressing about tasks or doing them?

Stop procrastinating. If you begin things, but never complete them, you accomplish nothing.

Strive for excellence. If you believe that excellence isn’t good enough, you may wake up one day and realize that your quest for perfection was anything but perfect.

Measure progress rather than time expended. Being busy is not the same as being productive.

Know the meaning of enough. If you appreciate what you have, you’ll never want for more.

Overwhelmed? You May Be Doing It to Yourself

Being overwhelmed isn’t something that’s happening to you; you’re creating it yourself.

Do you:

Wear a busy life as a badge of honor?
Overcommit yourself to feel important?
Plan every minute of your day or leave some wiggle room?
Undertake tasks that you enjoy or prioritize what matters most?
Address your to-do list sequentially or prioritize tasks first?
Tackle every task alone because you believe no one does things as well as you do?
Set a goal, only to set a more ambitious one afterward?
Demand perfection only to become upset when things fall short?
Address problems when they’re small or put them off until they become overwhelming?
Spend countless hours searching for “the best deal” because it’s a game to you?
Splurge on items just to impress your neighbor?
Go into debt to buy things you want, but don’t need?
Attempt to control the uncontrollable?

Take Charge of Your Destiny

If you always feel like you’re battling an avalanche of life’s demands, the problem is that instead of making the necessary changes to alleviate the pressure, you’re continuing to act in the same way and expecting things to change on their own. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. As the saying goes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.”

You possess the ability to bring about positive change, but you must make it happen — and the transformation won’t occur overnight. This involves investing time and energy to alter old habits such as prioritizing what holds the most significance for you, letting go of the quest for perfection, and acknowledging that certain things are beyond your control. Crucially, this process is as much about mindset as it is about action. In fact, if something won’t matter a few years from now, it’s not worth the worry. Remember, each step forward is progress in the right direction. Do you feel overwhelmed? As they say, “Take control of your habits. Take control of your life.”

Check out Frank’s new book, BECOME: Unleash the Power of Moral Character and Be Proud of the Life You Choose