It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in today’s world. With so many tasks to juggle and responsibilities to manage, staying focused and keeping up with everything can be hard. It’s important to know that you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed and that there are tools and strategies to help you never feel overwhelmed again.

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In this episode, you will learn the following: 1. What is the strategy to manage overwhelm and increase productivity? 2. What three tools are necessary to organize and increase productivity (that are free)? 3. What is the best way to decide which tasks to prioritize when feeling overwhelmed?

What is Overwehlm?

So, what is overwhelm? Overwhelm is when you have a feeling of being completely inundated or overburdened. It’s often accompanied by a feeling of being unable to cope or process anything that’s going on. I know I’ve felt this way before, especially when I was in my 20s and had to juggle school, work, and taking care of my family. I felt like I was running out of time and didn’t have a choice but to keep going.

Things to Keep In Mind

Your podcast doesn't have to be forever.
You don't have an audience when you start.
You do NOT have to do a video version of your show.
You don't have to make money with your show.

Three Free Tools to Help With Overwhelm

Evernote - A great place to store ideas you don't want to forget. You can even forward things like email to an address and it will be added to Evernote. There is a free version and the first paid version starts at $11/month.

Todoist - For items, you need to do. You can easily add items from Gmail, setup recurring tasks, prioritize, share with a team, and more. There is a free version with the paid version starting at $5/month.

Google Calendar - There are many calendar tools for you to keep up and organize your appointments. If you want to book guests, Calendly has a free plan as goes Acuity Scheduling. If you want a "lifetime payment," TidyCal enables you to charge for your time (as do the other two).

Now when someone connects you via email or social you can decide to: Delete it - trash it. Save it - Evernote Schedule it - Add it to your calendar Decide to do it - Add it to your todo list.

By using these tools and strategies, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed and stay focused on the tasks that are most important. Remember, you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed and there are tools and strategies to help you manage your stress and never feel overwhelmed again.

Strategy to Avoid Overwhelm

1. Do a brain dump and write everything down so your brain doesn't need to remember everything.

2. Get organized and direct incoming information to the proper location.

3. Try "Not Now" instead of "No" (if it makes you feel better).

4. Set boundaries and a "rope off time" for you to be focused and knock out the work that needs to be done."

5. Break large projects into small, achievable chunks.

6. Realize that creating a podcast is easy, but creating a good podcast takes time, effort, and determination. Set your podcast schedule based on your lifestyle. Don't try to squeeze your lifestyle into your podcast.

Join the School of Podcasting Community

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QUESTION OF THE MONTH

This month's question comes from Louis Goodman of the Love Thy Lawyer Podcast, who wants to know if you are listening to any podcasts via Paid subscription. If so, what so and why. If not, please provide any insights. As always, be sure to mention your show, a little bit about it, and your website address.