Overwhelmed By Life’s Demands?

Have you ever heard this question - “How do you eat an elephant?” Know the answer?

“One bite at a time!”

The principle is this: A project that is put off often seems to grow larger and more intimidating over time. Procrastination is never helpful. It may make you feel good for one brief moment, but when you get your head out of the sand, that elephant is still there – and may be getting bigger and bigger!

So, the goal is to just take the first step (or first bite!), and start working through the process that will get you closer to your goal!

About 15 years ago there was a fun show called “Clean Sweep.” (I enjoyed watching it, but I can’t say that I ever did a Clean Sweep at my house.) The premise was this: An individual or household wanted to do some renovations in their house, but to get the expert designer’s assistance they had to do a clean sweep.

Everything was taken out of the room and sorted – usually placed on top of tarps in the yard! The homeowners were asked to put things in three piles. Keep – Throw – Undecided. The goal was to have the Keep pile be the smallest, but it was typically the largest. Every once in a while someone would pare down, and they'd have a remarkably small Keep pile. But, their throw away/give away pile was small too. They'd simply put a ton of stuff in the “Undecided” pile. 

That's when the intervention went to the next level. A few compromises were made, a few tears were shed and eventually the excess stuff was put in a yard sale or donated to a thrift store. Until the homeowner was willing to sort down to the prescribed amount, they wouldn’t get the makeover. Eventually, and often with much emotion, the hope of success and a renovation motivated the person to get out of the procrastination trap.

If you’re like one of these families, you have a bunch of stuff you’d like to organize or give away – someday. If you’re like me, you have way too many things on your ‘to do’ list from time to time – or maybe daily! If you’re like most of the world, you want to put your head in the sand and pretend that the big bill will go away, a ‘fairy maid’ will show up to finish up your clean-up project or your ‘to do’ list at work would miraculously disappear! So, how can we modify our behavior for success? How can we organize our minds and schedules with a ‘clean sweep’?

Here’s a great strategy a friend told me about recently -

Step 1 – Write a list of everything that needs to get done. Like EVERYTHING!

Step 2 – Divide the list into three categories. A. Immediately. B. As soon as possible. C. Another Season.

Step 3 – Choose a daily time frame to hit the “Immediately” list. 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes max.

Step 4 – Set a timer. Get set. Go! (Stop when the timer chimes! No cheating!)

Step 5 – Once the “Immediately” list is completed, relook at the asap list and reassign your priorities.

Step 6 – Get going on that “Immediately” list again.

You’ll be amazed how much you can get done in a week’s time – even if the time frame is only 10 minutes per day. It’s that whole, “How do you eat an elephant thing.” You have to start somewhere. The point is, just start!

Still feeling overwhelmed?

Maybe the first step is to pray and ask God to help you think clearly. Typically, there aren’t that many things that can really be categorized as “Immediately.” With God’s help, a dose of discernment and practice you’ll get better and better at determining what really has to be done.

Warning! This process takes self-discipline. The only way to make it work well - and not get overwhelmed - is to take it one step at a time. Enjoy the little successes. Don’t allow yourself to get sidetracked in your enthusiasm. This is not a sprint. Think of it more like a marathon, but pretty much painless and sweat-free!

Life will control you, if you don’t control it. So, don’t let that elephant keep growing – whether it is at work, within your finances, at your house or with your kids. Allow God to help you tackle the overwhelming moments in your life. He will help to see you through. You are not alone!

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23a