How to avoid overwhelm as we select our projects for the next season

Introducing ''Intuitive Scheduling'' and ''The Capacity Check-In'' tool

Afternoon Carousellers,

It’s a gorgeous sunny day in Brighton. It’s the second week of my Monday afternoon routine of going to therapy, doing weight-lifting, jumping in the sea and then writing to you all here. I am really loving weight-lifting so far: I feel strong, can quickly see my progress, and I don’t think about anything else for the entire hour. This sounds like a dreamy Monday, but I’ve also been battling with anxious thoughts about work, money and life the last few days. I also notice that I am increasingly able to see them as anxious ‘thoughts’ rather than hard reality: my brain is finding something to hook onto and this is today’s topic. Doing weights and being in the sea take me out of that mode immediately. So, yes - real talk. Lots of lovely moments to be grateful for and also some challenging ruminations in the background. All part of the emotional Carousel. I wonder what activities help you get out of an anxious loop?

It was so lovely to hear the feedback about how useful people found last week’s Substack on how to talk about your life when you do many many things.

I wanted to talk today about how to choose from many seductive ideas, which all feel fun and exciting in idea form (but if you execute them all, might just kill you!)

On the right hand side of the Carousel model we have three phases:

• Back of the Carousel - ideas that are in deep sleep

• On my Radar - ideas that you’re aware of, and maybe are starting to chat about, but you’ve not made any grand plans to…

• Bring into Focus - ideas that you’re starting to ground in reality; set dates, plan, make concrete

I’m noticing that as September energy comes in, I’ve opened up the gates to all of my Back of the Carousel ideas. They’re rushing straight past On My Radar and are being asked to be Brought into Focus. Right now they’re all hovering around me, like planets in a Solar System (that’s the image I came up with with my coach for being surrounded by opportunities). Some of them will be pulled down and brought into the world properly. Some of them I will let go. Some will be put back to the Back. I’m learning to trust this part of the process - the ‘dating’ stage of ideas, if you like.

I’m wondering if you’re in the same position? So many things you could do. So many possibilities. It’s VERY tempting to say yes to everything. Or maybe you’re in paralysis not knowing which ones to start.

Some of you will know I have a framework about intuitive pricing - the idea that we can feel in our bodies how much to charge for something. (The 3 tiers are Resentment Feel Good and Piss Take).

I’m also wondering if there is such a thing as intuitive scheduling. When our diaries and commitments start to fill up we can feel in our bodies whether we have capacity to take on more, and whether the thing we’re saying yes to will fill us up, drain us or send us over the edge!

Introducing… THE CAPACITY CHECK-IN

These are the 3 tiers I’m playing with today (thanks to 10 Things I Hate About You for the inspo).

UNDER-STIMULATED / UNDERWHELMED - Too much blank canvas.

You’re going through the motions with things you’ve done before, or there is too much space to ruminate. You don’t have anything you’re feeling that excited about. Or you have one thing, but then it’s been given so much importance that you’re stressing over minor details, just to have something to do. Perhaps the things you’ve said yes to are low-energy or not working to your strengths, so you’re left feeling ‘blah’. It’s very tempting to be here post burn-out. For YEARS after leaving teaching I had such a high sensitivity to being over-booked that I ended up with far too little on my plate. This led to low motivation, low self-esteem, not to mention low income.

OVER - STIMULATED / OVERWHELMED - Your diary is bursting at the seams.

You have far too many things you’re excited about and it means you’re not doing any of them in a very focused way. You’ve said yes to everything. You’re on the edge of overwhelm the whole time. You’re often late or not really present because you’ve got to go to the next thing. Life can one day feel very very exciting but the next day you will probably crash. I’ve also been here so many times! Often it comes when I’ve been in an under-stimulated state for so long that the slightly whiff of energy sends me into an over-commitment frenzy. It can be a slightly manic mode and very fly by the seat of your pants…

BALANCED / ‘‘WHELMED’’- Hello, blissful flow…

There is a gorgeous feeling here of having a few things you care about, and also lots of space to digest. You’re able to show up to things with presence and care. You have time to follow up on meetings and ideas. You have enough going on to feel energised and inspired, but not too much that you’re frazzled. Your balanced state means you’re doing good work, so people are recommending you and you’re noticing this reflected in your finances. I’ve also had moments like this and the formula for me is having one big project that is feeling front and centre, and that I have a lot of space to really put my energy and time into over a focused period of time, but I also have other things that are spinning in the background balancing it out.

Sit with one of the ideas you’re thinking of doing this Autumn, notice how it feels in your body. Do you feel like you’re going to feel overwhelmed if you say yes? Does it feel quite low energy and maybe not that exciting? Or is there a nice, breezy, full body yes of - ‘I have capacity for this and I really want to do it?’

Here are some other tips for what to do when ideas come in, so you can avoid overwhelm.

1. Don’t say yes straight away

   My paper diary has been the buffer between a request and a yes that has saved my bacon many a time. I deliberately never have it with me so I always have to go home and check if I’m free. By the time I do check my diary the dopamine hit of ‘something new’ has lessened and I’m in a more rational state of whether it’s actually something I want to do.

   If you have a digital calendar you could have a rule like ‘I’ll need to sleep on that’, or ‘can I let you know in 2 days?’ Give yourself time to come down off the high of the possible new fun thing, and really ask yourself if you have capacity. I used to have a 4 day rule before making big decisions. It was really needed!

2. Be careful how committed you sound

   I’ve got myself into some right pickles over the years from being an enthusiast as someone shares an idea. In the moment I’m really loving the brainstorm but if I’m not careful I find myself in a new venture, before I’ve really thought about whether it’s something I actually want to do. Cue an awkward backtrack a few days later as I have to say no, or disentangle myself. Not nice.

   A phrase another enthusiast friend taught me was ‘I’m loving the idea of this, but I need to go away and think about whether I have time to actually do it.’ In other words give yourself permission to enjoy the creative activity of dreaming about something, but have clear comms about whether you’re ready to take something on in the real. (I once set up an entire business with a friend over an evening. When the evening ended we both agreed that the ideation in itself had nourished us enough and we didn’t actually have to set it up! So liberating!)

3. Trial it

   This is one I do all the time. When there is a new opportunity and I’m not sure yet quite what it will take to get off the ground, I suggest we do a trial version. ‘Let’s put on one event and then see how we feel about working together.’ Do a soft launch or a light version of whatever you’d like to bring into the world and see how you feel about committing to something bigger. I have spent the last 12 months walking around with my hand-made oracle cards to see if people (and I) connect with them, and only now am I making steps to make them properly.

   I released a ‘decade in drawings’ in early 2020 and you can see how many of my big ventures started off as light-touch prototypes.

4. Get involved in smaller ways

   Sometimes a project request has fully resonated with me but when I’ve checked in with my capacity levels I know it’s not something I can show up for right now - but there might be other ways I can be involved. Sometimes I’ve said ‘I don’t have time to co-run this, but I’d like to support you on the day by doing the door/ sharing the ticket link with my networks / being on hand for chats/ running a one-off strategy coaching session with your team.’ Only do this if it actually is something you want to do, by the way. It’s also okay to say, ‘this sounds really cool, but I’m at capacity at the moment. Best of luck with it!’

5. Postpone (put it on the Carousel and spin it round!)

   I really like this one for personal ventures - when you have something you’d like to make or create, but for some reason it’s not flowing right now, or you already have enough on, just stick it on your Carousel. My friend Sophie has a physical Carousel of index cards which are on a spinning wheel on her desk. When she has an idea she adds it to her Carousel and then every few months looks through it to see what ideas she might want to reconnect with. I really believe that when it’s the right moment, it will feel easeful. Acknowledge the genius of it, and then let it come back when it and you are ready for the collaboration!

6. Can you let this one go?

   If an invitation comes and you’re not sure it’s a hell yeah right now, ask yourself ‘how would I feel if this opportunity was no longer available.’ Sometimes there is a feeling of relief or neutrality that is very telling.

I hope this helps you to show up to the next few months with a few projects and ventures that feel really nourishing and spacious (or whatever energy you’re calling in!) I’m definitely going to put my own solar system of ideas through The Capacity Check-in to feel intuitively what these next few months are supposed to be about for me… I’ll let you know what comes up.

🎧 Finally, I made a fun 30 minute mix of tunes that I’ve loved this Summer. It’s called ‘Loveletter to Summer 2024’. I’ve heard it’s the perfect length and BPM for a run. Enjoy!

Big hug to all,

Sarah x