I am a freelance web designer, I’m also a undergraduate student graduating this year, I also just started a small business, and am working on some exciting yet time consuming client projects. To say the least - I have a lot on my plate at the moment. However as you no doubt have come to the same conclusion, in most cases, nobody else cares, and you find yourself having to help yourself (boo hoo.) This busy-ness situation seems to create a perfect opportunity for little problems to compound and present themselves as larger than they really are. I know I personally am more perceptive and sensitive to problems when I have to manage more of them simultaneously especially when I have little time to do so.

In understanding how to manage it, it’s important to first realize you’re in this situation to begin with. Pick your head up and look around you, or take a step back, or however you want to say it. Just be able to recognize that this is something which is ultimately under your control and not something which controls you. I like to think of these situations as opportunities to test and strengthen my ability to remain focused amidst an array of distractions and stress.

To set the scene, it is 5am here, I haven’t slept more than 4 hours in the last 48, and I’m getting ready to begin another day of work starting with some research and an 11 o’clock meeting followed up by more work, an exciting round of negotiations, some quotes and more work. My goal here is basically to prove to myself that despite distractions, I can in fact maintain a level head and come out on top.

This is sort of akin to the concept that if you’re trying to prepare for something like a pubic speech, or important negotiation (or whatever makes you jittery/nervous/etc.), an effective tactic is to practice for that event while listening to loud music or some other intense distraction. The idea is that you force yourself to concentrate more on what’s important and at the same time prove to yourself that if you can maintain focus in that setting, despite the distractions, then you certainly can maintain focus giving a public speech or maintaining your cool in an important meeting or whatever.

Letting this type of stress effect you personally is dangerous yet avoidable in my opinion. Talking helps, writing helps, reading helps but most importantly do whatever it takes to avoid getting stalled. Whatever you do just don’t stop moving forward, as my friend Matt says. Thanks for listening as always, and like I said, writing helps