Getting Back on Track – TPW354

This episode was inspired by a great question asked in the Productive Woman Facebook group. The question was about getting back on track when it seems like everything is out of control. Join me as I talk about how to tame the chaos and get your life back in order, while giving yourself some grace along the way. Taking back control of your life, one day at a time Becky, a member of our TPW Facebook group, asked this question:  “You may have covered this before but I would love to hear tips on how to get going when you have lost control of everything (email, work projects, home organisation, health goals). Not just how to deal with a bad day but picking yourself up and starting again when you have let everything slide for months and are faced with an overwhelming, chaotic backlog”  We’ve all been there. Something happens in our life that throws our schedules, systems, and habits out of whack. I mentioned last week that for me, a series of houseguests and family events, combined with a series of tight work deadlines, got me off track in several ways.  When something like this goes on for any length of time, it can result in a situation that is overwhelming. Things can become so chaotic and the backlog is so big we don’t even know where to start. Add to that some negative self-talk (“What’s the matter with me? I should have been able to keep up. How did I let things get so bad?”) and we can end up stuck in a cycle that just perpetuates the problem. How to take back control when things have gotten out of hand It starts in our mind--recognizing when we’re criticizing and condemning ourselves for being human. It’s hard to take any action when we’re mired in self-criticism. When you catch yourself having those thoughts, decide whether or not you’re going to believe them. Take a step back and consider what the “problem” is and how you got there. Maybe an illness? New baby? Family crisis? Pandemic? There’s a reason you are where you are today--what is it? Learn to manage your own thinking so you can start to turn things around. In Episode 221 we talked about some things to do when we’re disappointed with our progress toward goals. Much of what we discussed in that episode is applicable here, so it's worth listening to. Here are the key points:  * Don’t compare yourself to anybody else.  * Let go of the “shoulds”.  * Show yourself as much compassion as you would a dear friend or a child. Give yourself grace--you’re allowed to be human. Take a few minutes to look for the positive--What’s working for you right now? What have you done well (instead of the other things you feel like you should have been doing to keep life under control)? If you're struggling to come up with things you've done well, ask someone you love to help you. There is always something you've been doing well. The best way to get into a positive frame of mind is to look for the good in your life. Try writing down 10 things (or more) that you’re grateful for right now, even in the midst of chaos. Do a mind dump--write down everything that’s weighing on your mind. Getting it all out of your head and onto paper where you can look at it and evaluate it rationally really is the crucial first step of restoring peace and order. Every project that's uncompleted, every healthy habit dropped, every deadline looming (or missed), every task that needs to be tended to. What is the chaos? Where is it in your life? (Is it at home, work, or somewhere else?) What needs to be done? Write it all down, even if what needs to be done is “figure out what to do about X”.  Pay attention to your thoughts as you do this. If you start down that path of beating yourself up, remember . .