From the Desk Of Our Founder: 3 Strategies to Handle Being Overwhelmed

Penned by Two Roads Founder, Adam Slack:

I would like to say that I started Two Roads with a ten-year plan and that everything fell into place perfectly. That might set me up to teach people how to run a business, but it would have been boring.

The truth is we made a lot of it up as we went. We understood that we had a market for the service, but how we served that market looked different than our competition, so sometimes we thought we needed to improve. There were days when I wanted to breathe into a paper bag. Here we are twelve years later, and I have learned some ways to cope with being overwhelmed.

One thing that has been a staple for me since starting Two Roads is lists. David Allen wrote a book called Getting Things Done and refers to “open loops” as things that can kill our productivity. Creating lists of anything and everything you need to get done helps close these loops in your brain so that you can focus on what’s in front of you. It doesn’t matter how long the list gets, but it matters that everything gets written down. I try to end every workday by updating my to-do list with anything I can think of.

Another tactic I take is having a very defined workday. I attempt to start and end every day at the same time. I’ll admit that starting the day at the same time has been a challenge for me the past few years as my kids age, but I always end it at 5pm. My father once taught me “to do the best I can in the daytime and go ahead on.” This quote basically means if you do the best you can during the workday, you need to hang it up and leave the rest for the next day. The belief that if you just grind it out a few more hours, in my opinion, only causes you to be more exhausted and steals from your recharge time. It’s counterintuitive, but it has served me over the years.

Last but not least, you have to get exercise. It doesn’t mean you become a professional athlete or gym rat. Some years for me, this is just walking a few miles every workday. I’m not a doctor who can explain what's happening in your brain when you exercise, but it clears the head and helps to give you the energy you need to tackle the day. When you neglect it, you can begin to lose the discipline necessary to keep everything under control.

All three suggestions are taking time away from the very thing you feel overwhelmed by. It’s not easy. You don’t need to prep for it. You don’t need to buy anything. You can start today with all three and see how they work. My only request is that you try to keep these habits for 30 days and see how it goes!

Looking to take any overwhelming feelings out of your business finances? Book a time to chat here. We'd love to lend a hand -- we’ll ask a few questions to understand your company's mission and the specific needs of your business.