How I Am Dealing With DIY Overwhelm and Burnout

My house has become my enemy!

This is a warzone I created myself.  The battlefield of my home is littered with evidence of my DIY overwhelm and burnout.

 

 

Every table and surface in my home is covered with DIY projects. Even a few of the chairs are piled high with something that needs my attention.  Each project needs just one more little tweak to be finished, or an afternoon of dedicated work to bring it to it’s full potential for the blog or the vendor booth.

Are you familiar with the saying that when you make everything a priority, then nothing is a priority!

 

 

I am notorious for taking on too many projects at the same time and saying yes to too many commitments. 

Our rental house needs some updates and renovations, of course I will take that on and even add more to that list. 

Monthly crafting challenges and blog link ups, absolutely! 

It is a new season and I want a new wreath for my entrance.  Bring it on. 

My vendor booth is looking a little neglected, of course I will start multiple new projects at the same time to fill it up with merchandise for the new season.

 

 

Then about three months ago I started feeling it.

The burnout and overwhelm of just having too many plates spinning in the air at the same time.

Even though I enjoy each and every type of DIY, home improvement, and especially craft projects that I tackle, the constant clutter of unfinished projects was causing mental chaos and fatigue that I just couldn’t shake.  And don’t forget blogging mixed in and a part time seasonal job. 

As you can imagine I have felt like I was dropping most of those fast spinning plates instead of doing anything well.

 

Have you ever known that you needed to make some changes but didn’t know what should stay on your schedule or what should go?

 

 

Honestly, I was on the verge of just giving up on everything and just becoming a stay at home wife and pet mom to four dogs! (Those who know me well are laughing at that thought because I wouldn’t make it a month without something creative to do.)

Instead, I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started sorting through the overwhelm.

 

 

So this is what I came up with.

 

Step 1:

Step one, on that piece of paper I started  a brain dump list.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of a brain dump it is basically recording every project, task, even the thought of the next project, out of your head and on to paper where you can visually see every little thing that is mentally weighing you down.  No rules, and in no particular order, just get those worries out of your own head and on to the paper.

 

 

Step 2:

Step two, so now you have a visual list of the projects that are overwhelming your mind and your time.

In a different colored pen, start numbering those randomly listed thoughts in order of importance, or deadline dates. If the project has a deadline, write that next to it on the list. Even if the project just needs one more little tweak to be finished, give it a number of importance.

Ask yourself these questions.  What projects have a hard deadline?  Which projects do you need to finish first before moving on to the next phase? Which projects would you just like to finish because you enjoy them the most?  And what projects need to be taken off the list completely?

There is nothing wrong with not finishing a craft project, or putting it off until another time.  The same can be said for DIY home improvement projects if they don’t affect your standard of living or safety in the house.

I am giving you permission to let some things go.  Because I need to hear the message too.

 

 

Step 3:

Step three.  Now that you can see on paper what projects have a deadline and a top priority number, pick the top three or four to start working on. Make those projects your current focus.  Don’t look back at the list, just focus on what has to be done for the ones with a top priority.

 

Step 4:

Step four, time block on your calendar when you are going to work on each task needed to complete your projects in the timeframe you have.

Nothing can be completed if you don’t consciously make the time for it. 

Figure out what each of those projects need from you to get done, even including writing a blog post about it if you are a blogger.  Put the tasks on your calendar and work the plan.  Don’t look back at the list until those priority projects are done.

Step 5:

Step five, take a deep breathe and put away those projects you are not going to be working on.

Put it down. Take a break.  For a day, an afternoon, or for a week.

Remove the visual evidence of the projects that are causing you such overwhelm, and take a mental break. Unless the craft project or DIY project has a hard deadline you have committed to, then it doesn’t hurt for it to be packed up and put away temporarily.

If you are afraid that you will never go back to it, then it is not as important as you think it is.

Commit to only working and finishing those three or four top priority projects and nothing else.  No going back to the list to add more projects, no rethinking what needs to be worked on, no changing your mind.  Those projects with their deadlines and their need to get done status are what you focus on.  Period.

 

Probably the most important step of all is step number 6!

Step 6:

And the last step, Step 6, take rest and recovery very seriously.  The reason you may feel burnout like I have been feeling is because we haven’t practiced self care. 

Sitting down to enjoy a good movie and cross stitch is one of my ways to practice self care.  It relaxes me and clears my mind at the same time.  With so many projects left out for me to constantly see my lack of progress, I felt guilty for working on something else, or taking any kind of break.  Our home had become a mental battleground of projects for me and not a place of calm and rest.

It wasn’t until I was ready to give it all up, that I finally took the first small steps to conquer the overwhelm. 

 

 

How did this work out for me?

Since we are renovating the rental house to put it on the market, the projects for that need to be my top priority this month.

Second, I am in charge of cutting out the onesies designs on my Cricut™ for my son and daughter-in-laws baby shower at the end of this month.

Third, I need some new items for my vendor booth.

I know that the DIY projects for the rental house and cutting out the onesies vinyl designs for the baby shower are very time consuming and have the highest priority and looming deadline.  That is where I will spend most of my time.

For my booth, I have decided to shop a few estate sales for vintage items instead of finishing up any hand made craft items for the next few months.

The new wreath I have planned for my side entrance is going to have to wait.  The beaded lampshade for our guest room updates and for a blog challenge at the end of the month will also have to wait until the next time.  

After much consideration, I boxed up a pile of craft supplies and projects and donated them to charity.  That felt pretty amazing.

 

 

Ever since I was young, crafting, cross stitching, home interiors, and basic piddling around with new crafts ideas has always been a part of my life.  That isn’t going to change.  Ever.  How many I try to tackle at the same time needs to change.  No more shattered plates.

Practicing my own advice by incorporating the steps listed above, I feel like such a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. 

In the next few months you may also see a shift in content on the blog.  Not sure yet what that means but I am excited to make some changes. 

Until next time,

 

 

Ephesians 4:22-24