I am Busy this week. Aren’t we all? Here’s a synopsis of some of what is on my to do list: Research, write and submit two proposals, meet with at least 3 advertisers, record, edit and publish a podcast for GeekGrls, post a bunch of ideas on my blog, come up with my lesson plans for school which starts in a little over 3 weeks, follow up with current clients. And oh, yah…crank out at least 2 scripts for a television show. And it’s only Tuesday. Of course, that doesn’t count the personal stuff I need to get done.

Busy is great – I wouldn’t have it any other way. But Busy can go two ways – you can either let it get the best of you (and end up curled up in the corner in the fetal position for the rest of the day), or you can embrace it.

Feeling overwhelmed? Here are a few tips for overcoming the Busy in your life:

1) Find a partner in crime. I have a business partner. Half of the stuff we get done on a weekly basis wouldn’t be possible if we didn’t have each other. We both have crazy lives outside of work and crazy deadlines inside of work. We rely on each other immensely during the Busy. Finding someone to split the workload will make you more productive, and ultimately more profitable. Just make sure it’s the right person. My partner and I have spent 13 years building a relationship of mutual understanding and respect. It’s like a marriage of sorts – we have to work at it. Good partnerships are hard to find – but when they work, they work really well. And it helps tremendously knowing there is someone there to share the load.

2) Make lots of lists. Don’t try to keep everything in your head – you will never sleep at night. I can’t stress enough how much lists can help you to over come that overwhelmed feeling. I have multiple lists. My calendar, my white board, my BlackBerry, and my notebook all have different lists for different reasons. There’s no tried and true way – find a system outside of your mental list that works for you.

3) Delegate delegate delegate. One of the main stresses of the Busy is trying to do too much yourself. If your to do list is getting you down, figure out which tasks you can delegate. The biggest task hubby and I outsourced this year was housecleaning. Sure, it costs a bit, but less than you think. And now, the last thing on my mind is having to clean the bathtub or mop the floor. And that makes it worth every penny. So, figure out where you can outsource. Hire an intern. Ask your spouse or kids to help you. Hire a virtual assistant. Still don’t think you can delegate? Read Tim Ferriss’ The Four Hour Workweek and your mind will be forever changed.

4) Stay in the Now. Perhaps the most important rule for overcoming Busy is to stay in the present moment. Really, the present moment is all we have. All the to do lists in the world cannot make up for the fact that everything on that list is in the future. And the future ain’t here yet. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed thinking of all those things on your list that haven’t happened yet, stop. Sit back. Take some deep breaths. Regain your presence in THIS moment. I promise you will not only feel less overwhelmed, you will enjoy the process of the Busy much more. And read Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, it’s life-altering.

At the end of the day, the Busy is good. But managing the Busy is the way to truly get the most out of life and work. How do you manage your Busy?

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I woke up this morning with an anxious knot in the pit of my stomach. My thought pattern went much like this:

I’m traveling to Cincinnati at the end of the week, so my mind is racing with everything that needs to happen before we leave Thursday night. There is a ton of stuff to do to get ready for the trip. (passports, health insurance info, video equipment, laptop, clean socks, toothbrush etc. etc. etc). Drop the dog off at the kennel. Drop the other pets off at their Grandparents’ house. Get pet food. Get fish feeder block. Pack. Figure out how to fit all our crap in the Jeep.

And that’s just the trip preparation. Then there’s work! I have to write a proposal, co-write at least one episode of our show, finish some web content, follow up on umpteen proposals and advertising contracts, develop navigation for a new web site, and make sure our design team has enough to keep them busy while we’re away.

All of this occured to me within about 30 seconds of waking up this morning. No wonder I am anxious.

I sat at the computer, heart palpitating at the thought all I had to do, and what email demands were awaiting to distract me from those tasks. My eyes hit Chris Brogan’s post about Drowning almost immediately. Sometimes hearing about someone else who is feeling similarly can allow a different perspective to flood in. It worked, snapping me out of my ego-minded selfish way of thinking. “Hey, I’m not the only person in the world with a long to do list,” I thought to myself. “How am I going to handle it?” I sat back, took a deep breath, and reminded myself of how I deal with extreme busy-ness.

I’m really in to top ten lists lately, so here’s my top ten list of things anyone can do to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

1. Make a list on paper. Prioritize the list, and schedule when you will accomplish certain tasks.
2. Once you’ve scheduled a task, don’t think about it again until it’s time to do it.
3. Re-write the list when necessary. Check things off and don’t worry about them once they are done.
4. Don’t be afraid to do like Chris did, and ask not to be disturbed. 99% of people will respect that. If they don’t, ignore them.
5. Turn off the distractions. No email, no CrackBerry, no phone calls until you’ve accomplished a certain task.
6. Minimize distractions, but don’t wait till 5pm to check your day’s worth of email. That will only overwhelm you more. Make time right after lunch to spend 1/2 an hour dealing with email. File anything you can’t address within 1 or 2 minutes and deal with it when the rush is over. If you have to, send a quick reply telling the person when you will be able to get back to them.
7. Take a break. The world will wait while you spend 45 minutes to take a walk, do some yoga or have lunch with your spouse. Don’t think about your lists while you are on your break.
8. Sleep. Nobody is asking you to stay up all night. If you need to rest, even for a couple of hours, do it. You will be much more productive if you aren’t exhausted.
9. Eat. If you don’t eat, your brain won’t work. Your blood sugar will crash leaving you emotional and frustrated. Make sure you get protein and veggies. And a Big Mac doesn’t count as protein and veggies.
10. This too shall pass. You WILL get through your list. The crazy busy time will end. You WILL get to take a break. And you’re not alone. We all feel overwhelmed sometimes.

Anything you’d add to the list? How do you avoid getting overwhelmed?

I’m off to get cracking on my list now. Happy Monday!

Photo credit: bourgeoisbee on Flickr.

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