I was speaking with my coach yesterday and telling him how overwhelmed I was feeling – Yes, it happens to coaches too – and after I finished describing my challenges, he said, “you sound like you have all-over-the-place syndrome.”...
I was speaking with my coach yesterday and telling him how overwhelmed I was feeling – Yes, it happens to coaches too – and after I finished describing my challenges, he said, “you sound like you have all-over-the-place syndrome.”
As soon as he said it, I knew he was right. Luckily, I knew what to do next; it’s what I do with my clients. I help my Creative Genius clients who struggle with “all-over-the-place” syndrome to get intentional about what they are committed to and, together, we create a clear path to help them unleash their creative genius.
Creative Geniuses often get hit with “all-over-the-place” syndrome because they have so many brilliant ideas and can’t decide which one to do first. They jump from one task to another, diluting their efforts between too many projects.
So here are a few steps to help you if you find yourself with “all-over the-place” syndrome:
Start first by taking three deep breaths. How does this help? It changes the chemistry in your brain and allows you to tap into your thinking brain, rather than your reptilian “fight, flight or freeze” brain.
When you’ve calmed down, do a brain dump. Write down everything you have bouncing around in your head, then let it go for a moment. You don’t have to worry you’ll forget anything because you’ve just captured your ideas on paper. They are safe.
Get very clear on your top 3 projects for the next 3 months. Write them in a mind map if that helps or prepare a project task sheet for each project.
Then start writing the tasks related to each project on your mind map or appropriate task sheet.
Separate the emotional worry from the things you need to do. Ask:
Is there a reason to worry about this now?
If the answer is yes, ask:
Is there some action I can take to correct or alleviate the worry? In other words, is this something I can control?
If yes, write the steps you can take in your mind map, and
Plan the actions for the appropriate time of the day to do them.
If not, ask “is this life threatening? If not, let it go.
If it is, ask for help from someone who has control.
If the answer is no, write it in your project task list for future consideration or schedule it for later next week.
Select the top 2 or 3 tasks from each project and schedule them in your agenda for the best time to accomplish them.
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