I was already behind this morning.

It wasn't even 8 a.m. I was late getting out the door, and I had two important emails I hadn't written, a meeting scheduled at 8:30 with my Queen of Content and a packed calendar of client appointments.

I know I'm not alone. I'm hearing from a lot of you that you're starting off the New Year with too much on your plate. Heck, you probably had too much on your plate at the end of the year. And in Q3, and in Q2...

I've just moved into a new house, which I am SO excited about—but I've been spending a lot of time packing and unpacking and dealing with contracts and closings. I had a great 2024 revenue- and grow-wise—which was honestly kind of stressful because I had to figure out how to ramp up for more work and get ready to leverage that momentum going into 2025. I'm also bringing on a new team member and making some other staffing changes. So, yeah, I started off the New Year—and that morning—overloaded and overwhelmed.

When you're overloaded and overwhelmed, what do you do?

I do 4 simple things:

Step 1: Calm down.

First things first, I tell myself to calm down. Thinking about all of the things you have to get done right now throws your body into panic mode. Taking a moment to breathe and to tell yourself—literally and out loud, if you need to—to calm down is critical so that you're in the right headspace to take Step 2.

Step 2: Prioritize.

It's rare that you really do need to get 10 things done all at once. And even if you really do, you can't; it's actually not possible. So, ask yourself What is the most important thing I need to do next?

That word need is important, because sometimes what you want to do isn't what you need to do. For instance, I am super eager to keep bringing in more new business. But reaching out to prospects wasn't actually the most important thing I needed to do next this morning. This morning, the most important thing I needed to do next was write one of those emails I hadn't written. That email was going to have a big impact on how the rest of my week went (and on how well I could bring in new business in the days to come), so it had to be done first.

Step 3: Concentrate on what you're doing at this moment.

When you have so much on your plate, it can be really hard to concentrate on one thing. You keep thinking about all of the other things that need to get done, too. I need to repeat it: You can't actually do 10 things at once. You can't even really do two at once. Despite that fun photo at the top of this newsletter, multitasking is a myth. We all like to think we can do it, but studies show that when we try to do more than one thing at a time, we do those things less well, with more stress.

When you decide what the most important thing you need to do next is, do that and only that. You'll get that one thing done better and faster, and you'll get to move on to the next most important thing more quickly.

Step 4: Take time to manage your time.

Step 4 really should be Step 1, but that's not the reality most of us live in. So, once you've dealt with the immediate panic by calming down, prioritizing the most important thing that you need to do next, and taking care of that task with total concentration, put some time on your calendar to think about time and how you manage it.

I find that when my life or business is disorganized—like when I'm moving and its the holidays and my Queen of Content has taken two weeks off—it's harder to be calm and prioritize. Sometimes, the world just throws a bunch at you at once. But you can be prepared for those times. Check out my blog Find Time By Saving Time and my podcast Time Management Tips and Tricks. For my association friends, keep an eye out for my blog later this month; I'll be addressing time and energy in a context just for you.

By the way, being organized saved me this morning. After I wrote that email, I got to my meeting with my Queen of Content on time and ready—because I had already taken notes on what I wanted to cover with her and they were in a folder right on my desk. I started out behind this morning, but I caught up because I had gotten organized before.

Let me help you have a great year.

I would love to talk to you about helping you manage your time and energy in 2025 so you can accomplish everything you need and want to get done—and feel great while you're doing it. Please reach out to me.

Jim Roman

Strategic Coach