Find FOCUS

How can you stay focused when you are so overwhelmed? How can you think clearly to get anything done? How can you communicate what needs to be done to others and get them to actually help out, or at least be aware of what needs to be done? How can you feel rested and light in the midst of “busyness?”

Find out the answers to these questions with a simple two-step formula and a reminder acronym that beats overwhelming feelings. Create laser focus without getting bogged down in “busy” work or emotional meltdowns!

How to Find FOCUS

Can you really just take two steps to be focused? Yes! All you need to do is the following:

Clarify what needs to be done.
Undertake simple steps to do what’s most important now!

As simple as this is, we often get “stuck,” don’t we?! Don’t we often feel like everything is wrong, so much is not done, we are a poor parent, everything is such a mess, or we have “a thousand things” to do? The KEY here is that is how we FEEL! Memorize this sentence to help you methodically treat your emotions as an obstacle which you can shatter by STARTING this two-step process:

F.eeling
O.verwhelmed?
C.larify what can’t wait NOW, and
U.ndertake
S.pecific, simple action steps to get JUST THOSE THINGS done!

It takes practicing a few steps to make this process a habit that helps you get more accomplished without that drowning feeling. Lock yourself in the bathroom if you have to, and take fifteen minutes to write everything that is pressing in your mind on a full-sized, blank piece of paper. Then get a highlighter and highlight the nine things that will cause chaos if they are not done TODAY. Have fun choosing what NOT to do or get done, and in choosing free and cheap ways not to actually do everything yourself.

You don’t HAVE to make homemade cake for the homeschool meetup, and your eight-year-old can run the vacuum before the guests arrive! Stop trying to have everything done at once, or hoping that it will all finally be finished! Neither of these will EVER happen, and that is not our goal in life.

Nothing can help you Finally get Free of Floundering because of Feelings than Fooling yourself into having Fun! Do this: Make a tic tac toe grid on a second sheet of paper, and fill in the nine vital things you have chosen for today. Then use the tic-tac-toe paper to COVER your first list, and use a magnet to put it up on your fridge. Put your highlighter and a pen or pencil in a Ziploc bag and into the freezer so they won’t be lost while you work.

If you have older children or a spouse who is available at the moment and desperate for you not be overwhelmed, play the game together, seeing who can get three in a row done first. Otherwise, play with yourself, trying to only get three in a row, or a random set of three. Repeat until nine are finished, stop for the day, but put nine more on a tic-tac-toe grid for tomorrow. Yes, transfer any you didn’t get done, or repeat on the same day, just don’t overdo it.

Do you see that when you go back to your original list, everything you have gotten done will be highlighted?
Do you find yourself having to highlight extra things that you “accidentally” got done while you were whittling away at the grid because you were inspired?
Do you see that you took what needed to be done and reduced it to a manageable amount?
Do you see how emotion is what kills your focus, and not the sheer amount of work?

Celebrate what you are getting done, no matter how small that list of things may be. Know too, that the exercise of sitting down to list what’s overwhelming your mind may clue you into things you are not doing for yourself! You might just be thirsty, tired, hungry, or coming down with something. Not having established ways of caring for yourself and following your priorities are the main reason overwhelm happens in the first place.

Using the tic-tac-toe game is a step toward actually being able to articulate your priorities. Give yourself permission to do special things for yourself so you can accomplish more and still have energy to play and enjoy your family and life.

If you have found this game or these ideas helpful, please let us know by commenting, share this posting on social media, or forward it to a friend! We want to know what works best for busy moms and families! You can also ask questions in the comments.