Getting Organized Doesn't Solve Chronic Overwhelm
What to do Instead
I kinda broached this subject one day when I wrote about saving your money on all the planners, journals, and workbooks that promise to get your organized. Adding more to your plate doesn’t help you get more done. It definitely doesn’t reduce the overwhelm that is consuming your brain.
According to Thriveworks, Overwhelm occurs when “life demands exceed your physical and mental capacity to cope.” It can be caused by external pressures (money problems, heavy workloads/deadlines, grief, etc), internal pressures (perfectionism, people pleasing, and poor boundaries) and a deregulated nervous system (exhaustion or brain shift) (Thriveworks).
Now that the science is out of the way…
We live in a world that tries to sell us “quick fixes” to getting organized. Watch this video. Buy this planner. Check out my checklist for cleaning your house. All these add more to our lives. We’re sold that if we want to be organized, we need to do more.
We need more discipline.
We need more systems.
All of this tells us we can only get over our overwhelm if we do more. Otherwise, we are doomed to stay overwhelmed.
Look, I banned myself from watching infomercials back in the day because I’m so easily sold on things I buy them. All that stuff that floods my social media pages about getting organized— I bought into it. The planners. The journals. Then templates. The video series that was going to help me get my life together.
But, when you’re overwhelmed, adding more doesn’t help. You sink deeper into despair because you can’t handle more. Hell, you can’t handle what you have on your plate or you wouldn’t feel overwhelmed.
What do you do instead?
First, if it wasn’t clear, don’t give in to the promises of quick fixes. Don’t buy all the things that promise to get your organized.
Next, figure out what you value most. What’s important to you. What priorities do you have at this stage of your life. Once you know, plan around those. Say yes to those. Fill your calendar with those things.
Trying to organize your physical space? Consider the above—what is most important to you. That is what should occupy your physical space. For me, I love pictures of family and friends. I won’t throw out pictures. I treasure memories, so I save cards, ticket stubs (well now it’s printed paper that serves as a ticket), and other mementos. I have boxes for all these things. Stacks of papers from old jobs or times that I bought things to organize myself aren’t needed. They are clutter. Clutter in your physical space creates clutter in your brain. This is not my area of expertise, but I feel you can use the same idea—keep what you value most and throw out the rest.
Final Thoughts
I’ll end on this note (which I promise is related). I FINALLY found a doctor who will date my hormone changes seriously. I met with her the other day and told her about this singing pelvis in my FB feed. I told her I was concerned I had all the problems this pelvis told me I had. She told me the internet has set medicine back. Instead of patients coming in with symptoms, they come in having diagnosed themselves based on what they read or saw on the internet.
I told her the conversations and awareness around perimenopause and menopause are great, but then people come in to capitalize on them (like the company with the singing pelvis who will sell me 28 stretches to fix all my problems).
I realize the irony here—I’m a coach who helps overwhelmed women. At the end of the day, I’m selling something. But, I’m not selling quick fixes, and I’m not adding more. My philosophy has to do with taking things out and planning with intention. I’m not going to sell you a planner to fill out on your own. I’m selling a coaching relationship; a guide to getting out of overwhelm. So while irony can be seen, it’s not the same. No quick fixes.
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