Overwhelm is a real and disconcerting sensation. It feels life-threatening. In certain situations it is life-threatening. You’re in trouble if you sense overwhelm while surfing or on a battlefield or in a forest full of wild animals.

Lizard brain. Fight or flight. Run for the hills.

That’s the right response when there are bears and mountain lions who want to eat you.

I was feeling the overwhelm last evening, and it had nothing to do with the severe weather threatening our region. There were no bears or mountain lions.

We’re leaving for Asia for three weeks in 5 days. I have client work to finish. There’re meetings to prepare for this week. I really want to pitch a couple of articles before leaving. Then there’s this book draft sitting on my desk that’s beginning to turn gelatinous.

Oh, and we should probably pack. And I need a new pair of sandals. So shopping.

At “shopping” I pour myself a glass of wine, scoop some gelato, and sit on the back porch to watch the storm clouds roll by.

Flight. It’s my lizard default. I tend to be a flighter, not a fighter.

If the evening had ended with wine, gelato, and cloud spotting, it would not have been the healthiest way to deal with the overwhelm. None of those projects, large or small, go away until I take action on them.

Time to deal with this burgeoning to-do list.

Break it down.

Overwhelm is not so overwhelming when it’s broken down into small, actionable steps. Increments for finishing. Once projects are broken down into tasks, decision making becomes straight-forward.

• Do.
• Don’t do.
• Delegate.
• Defer.

Then I can ask:

What are the three mission-critical things that need to be finished by EOB tomorrow?

I can’t do 578 things.
I can do 3 things.

A pen, a notebook, and a calendar — along with wine and gelato — do wonders for overwhelm.

Small wins.
Actionable wins.
Winnable wins.

We got this.
Asia, we'll see soon.