There's more information out there than ever before. There's more to learn, more to do. There's more stuff to read, watch, listen to. And there's a ton of energy that gets stirred up with all of it. That's a lot to sort through in order to succeed in business. How can you deal with it all? A piece of feedback I often hear about my coaching skills is that I can take a lot of information and cut right to the essence of what needs attention. Honestly, this skill has always been with me (it's the same skill I would use as a theatre director), but it's truly strengthened from being a solo-preneur and it's also a must-have skill for business success I truly believe anyone can learn.



Entrepreneurs are always evolving; however, without a clear approach for how to take in and use all the information coming at you, it's all too easy to spin your wheels, waste money on programs and products you'll never use, and then lose energy getting down on yourself about not getting a thing done!

Now, one of the things I figured out right away when I started my first business was I needed guidance and support from someone who knew more about all of this self-employed stuff than I did. I've since worked with a coach for every new phase of my business, joined various coaching programs, am part of a local mastermind group, have my hugely helpful coaching buddy, and I am always reading newsletters and books. As you can see, getting support and learning rate HIGH on my list of business (and life) "to-do's."

I've also learned to be very selective about where I get my information and support from, how I weave it into my daily business operations, and whatever I choose to do engages in me the energy of "opportunity" rather than "obligation." This way I'll be excited to actually use it and/or do it.

Here are my 3 favorite tips for shifting the energy of overwhelm, so what you do puts energy in your step and money in your savings account:

Tip #1: Ask yourself this key question.

"Does this serve my ?dire need' (my most pressing business need)?"

When you're clear on what your intention is (e.g., this is going to connect me with new clients, this is going to help me speak about what I do, this is going to give me some space to regroup my energy), you increase your chances of doing it by close to 100%. In addition, when you're this specific about what you expect to get for doing this task, you're more likely to be fully engaged in what you're doing, you'll also take-in the learning at a cellular level and so then put yourself in a place to be able to do it more easily the next time around!

Tip #2: Create focus.

That's right. I said, "create" focus. You see, overwhelm perpetuates itself by looking to the outside for change to happen (e.g., the circumstances, the employees, the business partner, the networking event, you name it). However, the real shift can only come from you. You must choose to create focus. The key is to embrace that you can't do it all, all of the time! For example, just because a product comes with CDs, a workbook, and other goodies does NOT mean you must use all of them. I used to feel so burdened by the Internet book promotions that would come with all of these bonuses. I'd get stressed trying to figure out when I was actually going to get to read it all. Then I realized I could just read what I really needed at the moment and forget (or give-a-way) the rest-reclaimed my energy, thank you very much!

Here's another example: I have a client who is really wanting to delegate tasks, but struggling with releasing the control and doubting the tasks will be done to expectation-to the point where my client is going back and just doing what was given to someone else to do!

So we set up a simple tool. My client keeps a running-notepad of everything that's handed off, (if it's given to someone else, it's written down) and then sets a weekly meeting time with assistants to go through the list, get the run-down on what's been done, and then re-assign if needed and start a new list.

Now my client's energy is free to focus on creative money generating (which is what he's really good at)!

Tip #3: Talk about what you're doing.

I tell trusted folks (my husband, my coaching buddy, my coach, even my cat!) what I've got going on. Talking about it helps you simplify your thoughts, incorporate what you're learning, plus sparks additional insights and epiphanies. I find this so valuable when it comes to getting clear about what my priorities are. Again, you can't do it all, all of the time. If you try to it that way, the energy is stuck and stagnates and that's where overwhelm comes in.

So, whether you find yourself trying to balance business and family, choose where to get your information from, or what tasks to delegate, put these three tips into action and you'll find yourself getting more done, more quickly and serving your business rather than taking away from it.

Call-to-Action:

When feeling overwhelm just stop and ask, "Out of all of this, what serves my ?dire need' (what my business needs most)?"

If you find yourself pulled off focus, stop and take 30 deep breaths. This will help create focus and you'll find yourself back on track.

Find a trusted person to share what's going on with you. This shifts the energy immediately.