Member-only story
How to Pick a Direction When You’re Overwhelmed
Hint: to find clarity, zoom out
Someone asked me recently:
I’ve been freelancing part time for a couple of years but got furloughed then laid off so now I’m trying to make it work full-time. Lately I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed and would love your input. I feel like there is so much I could be doing that I struggle to identify what I SHOULD be doing and then beat myself up if I spend too much time trolling job ads or networking in Facebook BINDERS groups or TKTKTK. Bottom line is, I have a good idea of 27 different ways to get more work and I dabble in all of them because I’m really not sure what to do next and any given thing can feel like something I need to do now. A friend recently pointed out that I spend so much time overanalyzing my next move and I guess I feel like, if I had more clarity I could do more things and get more work and leave the burdened feeling behind and I would love that, but I don’t know how.
I am a big list person. I have dedicated quarterly Trello boards I use to organize my goals and track progress; a planner I’ve custom made so it lets me organize my weeks and months, jot notes, and make end-of-month reviews; and daily to-do lists helping me juggle work deadlines, creative deadlines, and home life.
