September through to the end of November is always busy for Bird. Right now we have resilience workshops and coaching a-plenty. It’s hugely exciting that so many not-for-profit organisations are keen to support their staff.
However, it also means there is a lot to do. I juggle a lot in these months. Planning, liasing with clients, designing materials, briefing Bird associates, delivering materials, following up, coaching clients. It’s wonderful, and it’s lots.
And when I have a lot on my plate, like many of us, I start to feel a bit overwhelmed. I think about how much there is to do over the next few days/weeks/months and I begin to worry about whether I’ll get things done, or whether important things will slip through the net. I’m ten steps ahead catastrophising about what might be. My inner critic/gremlin/saboteur tells me how everything will fall apart and I start to feel heavy and a bit lost.
For Christmas last year my sister bought me a book by Glennon Doyle Melton. The book is called Love Warrior and is an honest and open account of her relationship with alcohol, food, her own shame and her marriage. It is brutally vulnerable and I took many things from it. The key piece I have held with me from the book, that is ever so relevant when it comes to busy-ness and overwhelm is this: just do the next right thing, one thing at a time.
That one piece of advice has kept me feeling so much calmer and more relaxed in the face of so much to do. That one piece of advice has also kept me feeling calmer and more relaxed as I navigate a big personal change at the moment too. It brings me back to now, it makes me more productive because I’m not worrying about what else there is to do, I’m focussing on the next right thing.
Thinking ‘just do the next right thing, one thing at a time’ feels like putting my bag down and dealing with what’s right in front of me. It’s like dropping all the metaphorical weight.
So I encourage you this week to take this idea on board. If you are feeling overwhelmed, or lost, or unsure about the future, just do the next right thing, one thing at a time.
With love as always, Hannah and Team Bird
Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash