How to Stay Motivated When Feeling Overwhelmed

Some days just feel like a constant battle between endless to-do lists and not enough time to get ALL the things done. This cycle can cause us to feel massively overwhelmed and slip into habits that aren’t going to aid our productivity, in fact, they have the opposite effect. Then when the day ends, we feel a massive about of guilt and frustration because we didn’t get all of our jobs done.

Does this resonate? Don’t worry, there are some valuable and effective tools to try that can help boost your motivation when you feel that your to-do list is getting the better of you and feeling overwhelmed.

Take a break to boost your productivity

Our best work is created when our minds are fresh, light, and free of any stresses. Despite this, many ignore this fact and carry on trying to push through, which can feel like an uphill battle.

Try to be kind to yourself and let yourself have a break if you’re not feeling particularly productive. Honestly, it’s the best thing that you can ever do when you find yourself in this state. You will come back with renewed energy, motivation, and inspiration to complete the task at hand with more ease.

Check out 10 Ideas To Practice Self Care In Under 10 Minutes

Focus on one task at a time

I can remember when multi-tasking and having 100 tabs open on your internet browser was the ultimate way to get things done.

Personally, for me, I find this way of working unproductive and overwhelming. Tackling tasks one by one to make sure it’s completed with 100% of your attention is way better than having your mind split in10 different directions.

Check out 5 Steps to Being Super Organised

Manage your distractions

When we’re feeling overwhelmed, our minds tend to wander to other thoughts or activities that aren’t the best use of our time.

If you often find yourself mindlessly scrolling through your phone rather then getting through your to-do list, perhaps hide your phone in another room or putting it in airplane mode will help. You could even take this a step further and block all the notifications on your phone to limit the noise.

Check out 5 Key Signs of Self-Sabotage

Prioritise 3 tasks

This one has been revolutionary for me when my to-do list has been as long as my arm. Simply looking at it was enough to send my head in a spin.

Now I prioritise 3 tasks from my to-do list each day that I would be satisfied if I got them done, then everything else is a bonus.

Check out How to Set Intentional Goals & Achieve Them

Flip your mindset

When we’re overwhelmed our mind readily occupies a negative space because we feel like we’re never going to get the job done. When this happens, try focusing on the positives of the situation and how good it’s going to feel reaching the end goal.

Check out Shifting From a Negative to a Positive Mindset