Do you sometimes feel as if you have invisible gnats buzzing around inside and outside of your head? Are you so overwhelmed by possibilities that you start to work on one task, then set it down and switch your attention to another, and then another?
Welcome to the World of Overwhelm. It happens to all of us and it is happening more and more in our increasingly complex world. It affects everyone, but introverts, with our brains that are so sensitive to external stimulation, crowded with information, and accustomed to processing ideas and new input deeply, are most affected.
According to Nir Eyal, Instructor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, “…in the age of increased automation, the most sought-after jobs are those that require creative problem-solving, novel solutions and the kind of human ingenuity that comes from focusing deeply on the task at hand.”
Eyal also remarks, “…in the near future, there will be two kinds of people in the world: those who let their attention and lives be controlled and coerced by others and those who proudly call themselves “indistractable.”
Here are some simple solutions that I, as an introvert, have come up with, besides simply shutting down for a day or so:
Organize in advance
Make a list before you go to bed of all the things you need to do, in order, the next day. Tell yourself, “There, now my day is all organized.” Then put it aside before you go to bed. Don’t even think of taking the list into your bedroom, which should be a serene space where you can relax.
This can help eliminate that helpless feeling you get first thing in the
Stick to your organization
Never, ever, EVER (did I say that enough), start up a computer without knowing in advance exactly what you are going to do next, and after that….
Make a list (on paper, in real handwriting) and post it where you can see it while you are on the computer. When you get distracted by incoming emails, instant messages, and internet searches, return to your list for grounding.
Switching tasks
Switching tasks can be confusing. Don’t feel so driven by your tasks that you try to plow through them one after another. Always take a few minutes to breathe and center before switching, clearing your mind of the previous activity just as you would tidy your desk or workspace before starting a new task.
Avoid multi-tasking:
We all do it: talk on the phone while opening mail, or jot down notes on one topic while listening to another. No, it doesn’t make you doubly efficient; just the opposite, in fact. It can leave you exhausted, and you haven’t even accomplished much of anything.
When all else fails, take a day off and do something pleasurable. You will more than make up for that lost time by being re-energized.
This latter point is one that I have the hardest time getting my coaching clients to understand. However, I have learned that much of our fatigue comes from the anxiety we feel about the relentless, seemingly uphill parade of future tasks with which we are faced: in other words, about things that have not yet happened. A little respite really puts it in perspective as you learn, to your astonishment, that it really wasn’t that much after all.
And finally, remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “I have so much to do today, I must meditate for two hours instead of one.”
Lynette Crane is a Minneapolis-based coach, speaker, and consultant to introvert leaders. Visit her website at www.QuietBrillianceConsulting.com
Hi Lynette,
I saw your name on Joel Hodroff (an old friend of mine’s) presentation and went to check out your website. It was really interesting to me because of the pandemic; whereas I am struggling with the loss of human contact and connection, the people in my lives who are introverts (and in some case, somewhere along the autism syndrome, although I despise pathologizing what I consider to be a function of neurology and not mental “illness,” the fact is, those friends and relatives are doing really, really well during the pandemic, whereas for me, as I live alone, it is quite the challenge. The silence is deafening. The despair that so often goes hand and hand with uncertainty threatens to eclipse whatever hope and positive creative energy I manage to summon. And the loneliness is very, very painful. So when I saw the name of your coaching/organization, I was struck by an article I read just last week on Medium (my favorite platform for writers). It was entitled: The Year of the Introvert. I will try to find it and send it your way. One interesting point is that on any normal Tuesday, I would be at home anyway, as I have worked from home for over thirty years, and the past ten years of coping with chronic illness and significantly diminished my ability to go places and be involved in the community (I stopped driving in 2014 after a failed spinal fusion surgery) which adds to the feeings of isolation. But I was struck that wheras this is no different than my life as it used to be, somehow HAVING to isolate-the loss of agency and volition–is a whole different thing. Which makes me think this is a lot about choice. I also read an article that same day that was all about how not to get pulled down the internet rabbit hole (a phrase I was using fifteen years ago), because I am, by nature both digressive and highly distractible–the perfect set up for watching a day diappear while my vision is destroyed from staring at a screen. So I will try to find both pieces and forward them on to you. Based on what I’ve seen on your website, I think you might find both of them helpful and interesting. Best of luck to you—and of course, good health to you in these challenging times.
Hi, Ellen
Thanks for reaching out. I would like to see that article
People often think introverts LOVE being alone. We do indeed love to have the choice.
One bright note: we are far better equipped to handle social distancing than are extreme extroverts.
Hi Lynette,
I saw your name on Joel Hodroff (an old friend of mine’s) presentation and went to check out your website. It was really interesting to me because of the pandemic; whereas I am struggling with the loss of human contact and connection, the people in my lives who are introverts (and in some case, somewhere along the autism syndrome, although I despise pathologizing what I consider to be a function of neurology and not mental “illness,”), the fact is, those friends and relatives are doing really, really well during the pandemic, whereas for me, as I live alone, it is quite the challenge. The silence is deafening. The despair that so often goes hand and hand with uncertainty threatens to eclipse whatever hope and positive energy I manage to summon. And the loneliness is very painful. So when I saw the name of your coaching/organization, I was struck by an article I read just last week on Medium (my favorite platform for writers). It was entitled: The Year of the Introvert. I will try to find it and send it your way. One interesting point is that on any normal Tuesday, I would be at home anyway, as I have worked from home for over thirty years, and the past ten years of coping with chronic illness and significantly diminished my ability to go places and be involved in the community (I stopped driving in 2014 after a failed spinal fusion surgery) which adds to the feeings of isolation. But I was struck that wheras this is no different than my life as it used to be, somehow HAVING to isolate-the loss of agency and volition–is a whole different thing. Which makes me think that this is a lot about choice. I also read an article that same day that was all about how not to get pulled down the internet rabbit hole (a phrase I was using fifteen years ago), because I am, by nature both digressive and highly distractible–the perfect set up for watching a day diappear while my vision is destroyed from staring at a screen. So I will try to find both pieces and forward them on to you. Based on what I’ve seen on your website, I think you might find both of them helpful and interesting. Best of luck to you—and of course, good health to you in these challenging times.