When I don't know where to start, I start by organizing my thinking

A while ago, I experienced an interesting situation at work. I was working on some projects in partnership with other teams and we were all in full speed mode to bring them to life.

Between e-mails, tasks and meetings everything was under control, until in a particular week, almost out of nowhere, everything seemed to accumulate in an overwhelming way. I remember situations like going into a meeting to resolve one thing and leaving with three more to find a solution, or sending an email asking something and getting more questions back. Even when I was relieved to have completed a task, my mind was confused and anxious for thousands of other things that still needed to be done, followed up or kicked off. On a late afternoon after a normal day at work I decided to sit down, calm my mind and think about a strategy to accomplish everything I needed.

The main question that came to my mind was: where do I begin? Everything seemed a priority, everything seemed challenging and everything seemed to take a long time to be done.

This and future situations like that helped me to develop strategies that have worked for me and might work for you too. So here are some personal hacks on how to organize your thinking (and my time) when you don't know where to start.

1. Start with meditation.

I once heard a very simple analogy, but it made perfect sense to me. Our head is like a snow globe: during the day, the week, the month and even the year thousands of things are happening and it is as if that globe is being shaken and the snow is flying everywhere. Our mind is constantly overwhelmed, thinking about thousands of things and and lacking focus. Meditation works as a way to make the snow settle down and make your head think more clearly.

When I have thousands of things to do, I start with a simple and effective meditation. I go to an isolated place, take a deep breath, close my eyes, try to feel my body, try not to think about anything and stay there for about 5 minutes. It is amazing how this simple act of meditating makes all the difference when it comes to getting back to work and focusing on what needs to be done. You can also use meditation apps as a guide if you like.

2. Make a list of the things you have to do - on paper.

I recently read a quote that caught my attention: ‘Writing is the antidote to confusion’. The sentence does not define whether the writing is on paper or on the computer / smartphone, but what definitely worked for me was the paper. I have used several forms of paper such as post-it, letter paper sheet and notebook.

I basically make a list of all the things that are in my head that I need to do. I try to list everything, without any filter. Then I assess what the priorities are based on three factors: deadline, difficulty and my energy.

Deadline: When do I need to deliver that task? Is it urgent or can wait? (Example: preparing for a meeting for tomorrow morning vs sending the campaign results in 2 weeks)

Difficulty: How difficult is this task? How long will it take me to complete it? (Example: Build a strategy from scratch vs send an email to check something)

Energy: How energized am I to accomplish this task? How much mental and physical energy does it require from me? (Example: End of the day I am exhausted vs End of the day I have the adrenaline raising up)

With that in mind I prioritize the tasks and mark the ones I complete. If new tasks appear while some still need to be done, I add it to the post-it or create a second post-it / page in the notebook. It is also possible to categorize by projects, or by filters like the ones that I mentioned above: tasks that are urgent, tasks from the most difficult to the easiest or tasks that I will perform according to my energy.

Another interesting factor is that the post-it and letter paper sheet often act as a kind of mental motivation for me, mainly because after I complete all the tasks I basically throw it away. It gives my brain a feeling that it's over and I don't have to worry anymore.

However, if you work best using digital media to make your to-do list, feel free to use them. Even myself, in some situations and tasks that require access to digital resources, ended up making a list in a draft email, doc or spreadsheet.

3. Use Google Calendar to block time for each task.

Despite making a list of tasks and prioritizing them according to the deadline, difficulty and energy, I often ended up getting lost when trying to accomplish them. So, I developed a strategy where I use Google Calendar to block times in my calendar to perform tasks. Basically in my agenda I have time blocked with one color for meetings and other things like lunch and appointments, and another color for tasks that I need to do on the day.

If your co-workers have access to your calendar as well, blocking task spaces also prevents them from scheduling meetings at times when you should be doing something else. If the time has passed and you have not been able to complete the task you had assigned, block an appointment the next day or another day to complete it.

4. Don't multi-tasking, focus on what needs to be done.

It is also very common to get lost when trying to perform all tasks at the same time, or in a chopped way. It's almost like doing a little bit here, a little bit there and so on. It happens many times while I am working on some tasks and remember about something more that I need to do or even be interrupted by someone wanting to ask something. If it's a simple thing that only takes a few minutes, I usually do it right away and get rid of it. If it's something that takes a little more time, I add it to my list and find a time to do it. The important thing is to focus on the task you need to do and avoid distractions as much as possible.

In fact, a great tip to avoid distractions is to work while listening to a low beat playlist like Chilled Cow. It is amazing how I can focus while listening to this type of music.

5. Take a break.

We are not robots and machines. Often, after achieving a task for a certain amount of time, I ended up feeling tired. So, I set aside a short time to take a break before going back to the tasks I need to do. In this free time you can do whatever you want, for example, check social networks, watch a video on YouTube, walk around, eat a snack, call someone or just take a deep breath and meditate a little more. These breaks are essential for your brain to cool and function effectively again for the next task.

6. Golden tip: Start without even knowing how to do it.

The last tip is the one I consider a really golden one. Sometimes it’s extremely challenging to start a task. We don't know where to start, or we start very slowly or even spend a lot of time in the beginning just thinking going crazy. What has worked for me is getting started, even without really knowing how to do it. The exploration on the beginning of task, even if uncertain, unlocks the mind and helps to find the solution during the process. Sometimes the task is simpler than you think and you get it done in less time. Sometimes the task is more challenging than you imagined and you realize that you need more time. Whatever the case, just get started and you will see how the task will unlock while you do it.

The above strategies have worked a lot for me. I am still perfecting and learning new things, but I can say that these things have helped me to organize my thinking and deal with everything that needs to be done. And you, what have you been doing?

There you go! Now I can remove this post from my to-do list! 😜