Do you ever feel a sense of overwhelm? You have so much to do that you don’t know where to begin? So you end put futzing around instead of getting any actual work done? I know this feeling! We are in the process of moving from Paris back to San Francisco. It is amazing how much stuff a family of 6 can collect in two years! I started out strong, carefully wrapping all the demi-tasse cups and saucers… all the precious little bowls from the Paris flea markets… the serving pieces I love. The books were easy to pack. Emptying out dressers a breeze… But now we are surrounded with boxes and it is chaos in every corner of our apartment—even the bathroom. And we have been working on this project for several weeks so it is getting a bit old and tedious. I noticed yesterday I was walking around looking at everything and not really doing anything and time was ticking away…
Moving Madness
Once I NOTICED that I was in the state of overwhelm, I kicked into gear. I know how to handle myself when that happens. I have an IFTTT recipe. If I get into a state of overwhelm, then I pick one very small task, preferable physical, that can accomplish to see quick results and go from there. I start small… no no no… smaller than that! I figure out what I can do right now that will make quick progress. For me, that meant making boxes. So I made up 5 small boxes and 5 medium boxes. I delivered one of each size to each of the kid’s rooms. The girls were studying for finals but my son was enmeshed in Mine Craft. I gave him instructions to empty his book case into the small box and ONLY the clothes that still fit into the other box. That got me started and into gear so I could move on. I went to the kitchen to look for items to box up there. I delegated that wrapping to my mother. (I am better at overseeing than doing! Good to know your strengths!)
What this boils down to is this: when you get overwhelmed—do SOMETHING, ANYTHING to get into gear. One time we were in Brittany and I had to drive a manual car. Being from San Francisco, I had very little experience driving manual cars. I was challenged to remember all of the steps necessary to get the car to move forward. It was a nightmare (with my three teen agers and mother in the car). This is what overwhelm is like. We are not in gear… we are stuck between gears so there is no forward motion. To get going, just start at the beginning, something really basic. In my current situation, that was putting boxes together. It was physical work to get me out of my head, and I could easily see progress with the ready boxes stacked before me. Once I started moving forward, I could keep going.
An alternate strategy is to have a detailed To Do list for the packing and just keep checking items off the list. I don’t have that since my detailed packing list says: Pack everything that I want in San Francisco. That is a bit like, “Put the car in first gear and get started.” Duh! I know from an intellectual view point what I am suppose to do; I was challenged by the reality of it!
The biggest challenge is to notice that you are in a state of overwhelm, because then you can apply the principle of GO SMALL. Do a small simple task to get in gear.
In the mean time, it is back to packing for me!
Bit by bit it is all getting done. How could 6 people have SO MUCH STUFF!!!