What to Do When You’re Overwhelmed

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Overwhelmed?
Use the 4D model. Do it, Delegate it, Delay it or Delete it. Fast way to
simplify.”

-Mark Strong

I posted the quote above on Mark Strong Coaching Facebook
just a week before 2012 began. It seemed to hit a nerve in the life coaching
community, as preparing for the start of a new year can be a recipe for
overwhelm.

Now only a few weeks into the journey, with your sights set
on the next 11 months and your hopes and dreams for this particular year, you
may still be feeling overwhelmed. You may be wondering what you can do to
simplify your life in the weeks ahead.

I’ve found a simple solution that I share with my life
coaching and executive clients: use the 4Ds for every item on your to-do list. In
other words, for each thing that you feel you must do this year, you should
assign it to one of the following four categories:

Do it. If there’s
something that really needs to be done, the best thing to do is just to do
it—the sooner, the better. The problem comes when you have so many things that
need to be done, that you don’t have time to tackle each as it arises. This can
lead to procrastination of certain items, which may languish for too long on
your list, taking up valuable mental space because they’re still on your plate.

In this case, a little scheduling can help power you through
the backlog. Instead of simply keeping an item on your list that you know you
must do, create a calendar item for it, just like any other appointment. If
it’s something that must wait for the weekend, then pick an actual day and time
slot when you’ll get this task done—and then do it.

Delegate it. Some
things must get done, but don’t necessarily need your personal touch. Because
there’s only one of you and only so many hours that you’re awake and productive
each day, you need to save your time for the highest-priority items that only
you can do. For everything else that needs prompt action but could be done by someone
other than you, consider delegating it.

How do you know what makes sense to delegate? People often
delegate tasks that are more clerical in nature. If it isn’t of strategic
importance to your business or doesn’t call on your core talents and skills,
you can save time for what matters by delegating the rest.

Delay it. Doing
nothing is actually doing something. Deciding not to take action right away is
a valid decision. If something is on your list that you don’t yet know how to
handle, the best response might be to delay it. By doing so, you allow time for
additional information to unfold that might help you make a smarter decision. However,
a caveat: you need to be sure that your desire to delay action is truly a
strategic move rather than procrastination.

Delete it. It’s a
fact that you may never complete every item on your lengthy to-do list. If you
find that you keep delaying a certain task while moving no closer to a decision
about doing it or delegating it, it may be time to press the delete button.

As circumstances change, some items that you once thought
were critical may become lower priority, and may no longer be necessary to do.
If you stay open and flexible, you’ll be in a better position to assess every
item on your list, and remove the ones that are no longer relevant.