Fret No More!

By Dr. Gary Screaton Page
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Gary Screaton Page. All rights reserved

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All of us feel overwhelmed at one time or another. We may even get angry at what we appear to be insurmountable tasks ahead of us. Sometimes we just keep putting them off altogether.

Their shear size overwhelms us.

Be overwhelmed no more. Here is a depressurizing strategy that will help you get that job done and make you will feel increasingly satisfied along the way. A colleague and business coach, James Maduk, told a story about a man who set out to eat an entire car. Really!

Why anyone would want to do that is beyond me. Nevertheless, that was what he wanted to do. But, how does someone eat a whole car. They do it the same way one eats an elephant: one bite at a time. The “bites” that eat away at major tasks we call “chunks.” Break any task into manageable chunks will get the job done in comparatively short order.

Suppose, for example, you wanted to do what I recently did. I completed my first mini-site to market my latest book. When I first found out what it would take to make a commercial mini-site, I was overwhelmed. Then, I asked myself, “What are the steps I must take to get the site up and running and start collecting money?” I started by making a list of all the steps required. Those steps that, themselves, were quite big, I broke down into smaller steps.

Each step was a chunk of the project. Each chunk I checked off brought me one step closer to the finished product. What is more, with each chunk I checked off there came a bonus. I began to feel more and more satisfied, proud of myself even, as I checked off each completed chunk. I could see the chunks falling one by one.

Before long—far less time than I imagined and found overwhelming at first—my first mini-site was ready for business. As I got a clear picture of the project and the steps required to completed—the many chunks and sub-chunks—I could see the job was, in fact, quite manageable. I relaxed, focused, and got to work.

One by one, I chunked my way to success. Now all I need is for my customers to chunk their way to my site! The point I’m making here is this: every task, no matter how big, is just a pile of chunks that need to be “eaten” before you move on to the next.

Chunk the tasks that seem to overwhelm and you, too, will be able to—well, eat a car, an elephant, or simply get the job ahead of you done. The bonus is, every chunk nourishes your soul, and your sense of accomplishment increases—every “chunk” of the way.

Chunk Your Way to a Joy-filled Life!