I love learning and increasing my skill set. Most entrepreneurs do. So, we follow blogs, read ebooks, and attend webinars. Over and over and over again.
Eventually, the time comes when we find ourselves so immersed in what other people have to say that we can't hear the voice of our own inner wisdom. Our mind becomes so full of their ideas that there is no room left for original thoughts.Checking email becomes a dreaded chore and email inbox fatigue sets in as more and more "experts" clamor for our attention with their courses and special offers.
Don't get me wrong. Learning from others is valuable, especially when you need motivation or are stepping into something new. It is also important to follow experts and stay up to date on subjects related to your business that change frequently.
But, you don't need all of them all the time.To prevent information overload and let your own brilliance shine through:
Declutter Your Learning: This is your opportunity to clean out the extras and get focused on your priorities. Once you start this process you may be surprised or even amused how cluttered your mental life had become, especially if you follow several people that are all talking about the same thing. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Unsubscribe from any emails you routinely delete without opening.
- Choose your priority subjects that are most valuable to you and your business.
- Select your favorite expert to follow in each category and let the others go. If you just felt your stomach clench at the thought of this, you can always bookmark sites when you unsubscribe in case you want to visit them later.
- Ruthlessly evaluate your remaining emails and unsubscribe whenever possible. (Simple Smart Business is a keeper.)
- Use email folders to organize and store what you receive.
- Use document folders to hold and organize courses and information you have downloaded.
- Put any new subscriptions on a trial period. The free product you received may be great, but you may not need to continue receiving their emails or sales letters.
Take a Learning Break and Listen Within: Getting stuck in learning mode is a strategy that fear uses to keep us from moving forward. When we are overwhelmed with information we are less likely to take action and more likely to stay in the comfort zone our fear loves.
I recommend taking periodic breaks from learning. Your mind can only hold so much and you need time and space to follow through on what you have already learned. Learning without action is one of the signs that you have gone into overload or are keeping yourself stuck.
When taking a learning break you simply stop attending webinars or workshops and only read what is truly valuable right now. You can still download things for later, if you want.
- Allow your mind to synthesize what it has been learning
- Give yourself a chance to implement new tools and information
- Create space in your mind for your own ideas to come through
- Help you feel more relaxed and focused
- Let your inner brilliance shine
I also encourage you to choose blocks of time when you sit with a blank page and brainstorm your own ideas and create new plans of action that are inspired by YOU. Let your inspiration speak. What it has to say is more valuable than anything you will learn from other people.
Your business is all about you. The inner brilliance that originally inspired it is still there, ready to reveal and support your next best steps. All it needs is a little space to be heard.
Don't forget to leave a comment. I would love to hear what you have to say. If you enjoyed this post, you may also like: A Three Step Burnout Busting Process Does Multitasking Really Work? How to Avoid Overwhelm and Stay Focused on Your Prioritiesby
