Retire Your "Busy Badge"

Mind to Map: Conquering Overwhelm & Unlocking Momentum! (Living Lucky® Podcast)

Ever feel a constant state of mental chaos? On this episode of the Living Lucky® Podcast, Jason and Jana Banana reveal the simple yet transformative strategy they used to conquer overwhelm while preparing for a major international competition. This is your guide to turning swirling thoughts into tangible progress!

This episode is a goldmine for personal development and self-help, packed with powerful "nuggets of wisdom" to help you:

• Defeat Overwhelm: Learn how to get your "mental ink" onto paper (or a wall!) to free up your brain's bandwidth and reduce anxiety. This simple act of externalizing your thoughts is the first step toward clarity.
• Master the Art of Momentum: Discover the magic of breaking down big goals into "little momentum masters"—small, manageable steps. Each completed task delivers a powerful dopamine hit that fuels your positive thinkingand propels you forward.
• The "Organized Success Pattern": Understand how visualizing your goals and tasks creates a clear roadmap, eliminating redundant effort and keeping you aligned with your partner or team. No more accidentally buying duplicate plane tickets!
• Start with the Easiest Step: Learn the counterintuitive secret to building unstoppable momentum: start with the easiest task. This small win will build confidence and give you the traction you need to tackle bigger challenges.
• Shed the "Busy Badge": Challenge the limiting belief that being overwhelmed makes you important. This episode teaches you how to stop being busy and start being effective, leading to a more productive and fulfilling life.

Ready to transform your own overwhelming challenges into an organized success pattern? Tune in and take notes.

• • How to conquer overwhelm and anxiety.
  • Goal-setting for a busy person.
  • The power of writing down your goals.
  • How to break down big goals into small steps.
  • Building momentum with small wins.
  • Productivity hacks for a chaotic life. The psychology of getting things done. Overcoming procrastination with momentum. How to stay focused and productive. Simple steps to organize your life. How to deal with overwhelm and stress? What is a good strategy for goal set

Transcript

Creating a life you crave

Jana Shelfer 0:00

Are you ready to create a life you crave? Let's spin that doom loop of negativity into an upward success cycle and start Living Lucky®.

Jason Shelfer 0:14

Good morning.

Feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities

Jana Shelfer 0:15

I'm Jana, I'm Jason and we are Living Lucky®. You are too. I've been overwhelmed lately. My friend Candice calls it whelmed. She said, jana, you're just a little whelmed right now. And I said, I know, because I have all these things going on in my brain, I literally wake up and go. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing right now.

Jason Shelfer 0:34

So many things to do in so little time.

Jana Shelfer 0:37

And this trip to Australia. For those of you that don't know, I have been chosen to be a member of the USA water ski team and we will be headed to Australia for the world competition.

Jason Shelfer 0:51

Yeah, and it's not a done-for-you trip.

Jana Shelfer 0:56

No, there's a lot of doing for yourself which is the way I prefer it.

Jason Shelfer 1:00

Right.

Jana Shelfer 1:00

At any rate, I have a lot to do, not only training wise, but logistically, and it can kind of start rattling around in your brain, and so I and you have been feeling the same way.

Jason Shelfer 1:16

Am I right? 100 percent? 100 percent, because it's something that we put into the schedule. Yes, it's a new thing that's been added to the schedule and we're like, okay, well, how do we manage this? How?

Jana Shelfer 1:27

do we manage our energy, our time, our-.

Jason Shelfer 1:30

On top of a busy and productive lifestyle.

Jana Shelfer 1:32

Organizational skills. It's like organizing your mental capacity.

Jason Shelfer 1:38

Yes, and it's been incredible to just kind of manage through that.

Writing goals on wall notes

Jana Shelfer 1:44

So what we did? We got out these great big, three foot by five foot sticky notes that go on your wall. They're like wall notes, that's what they are Big wall notes Sounds like a funny name. Anyway, we started writing down our goals and then we started chunking it down. Yeah, so we would write this needs to be done. Okay, three steps. How do we do that? How can we chunk that down into three steps so it doesn't feel like we're swallowing the whole elephant at once?

Jason Shelfer 2:21

And it has been a game changer. The other part of that for me is being able to see the steps. So sometimes it's like I know the staircase is there but I don't know what the steps look like. So it's like I know that I got to get to the top, I know I've got to get this whole thing done and because I'm thinking big picture you know I'm a big picture thinker Very- big, very big.

Jason Shelfer 2:47

And when we do this, when we start with that question of what are the possible things that need to happen to make this trip successful?

Jana Shelfer 2:56

Yes.

Jason Shelfer 2:56

Like when we start with that question and then we start just kind of brainstorming okay, these are the things that would make this trip look successful, okay, these are the things that would make this trip look successful. And then we start putting those on paper and then we start just building those little stepping stones to get to that it changes everything, and being able to see it on paper daily is a change.

Getting tasks out of your brain

Jana Shelfer 3:15

That is the nugget that I want to talk about today is getting it out of your brain. So many people have told me over the years the quickest ink to fade is-.

Jason Shelfer 3:26

Mental ink.

Jana Shelfer 3:27

Mental ink, like when we say oh, I've got it in my mind, I've got it in my mind.

Jason Shelfer 3:31

I'm so guilty of this.

Jana Shelfer 3:34

If we get it on paper, then it becomes real and it becomes tangible. It becomes something you can see, and when you get it on paper, there's also a release in. I don't have to file that in my brain. Do you know what I'm?

Jason Shelfer 3:51

saying I don't have to store it. I don't have to store it, I don't have to remember this about it.

Jana Shelfer 3:55

Yeah, I don't have to constantly say, oh, don't forget this, don't forget this Sometimes.

Jason Shelfer 4:00

I will look at it, I will walk away and I will forget it.

Jana Shelfer 4:05

Oh, I know.

Jason Shelfer 4:06

Like this is, and that shows me that I need to have it written down on the wall.

Jana Shelfer 4:10

No, I sometimes go into my art room and then I get in there and I go. I don't remember why I came in here Now. I hate to admit that. However it's truth when I have, when I get it out of my brain and get it on paper to where I can see it and it doesn't have to be paper, it can be your digital notes, although I find on paper works the best. When I literally put it on the wall, where we both see it every day, then I feel like I can chunk it down into smaller, bite-sized pieces, pieces, and then, once those smaller, bite-sized pieces start coming into play, it all of a sudden doesn't feel it feels manageable, it feels like you don't choke on it and I have to tell you.

Jana Shelfer 4:55

I mean, when I was told that we would need visas, I was like, oh my God.

Jason Shelfer 5:00

What's that look like?

Jana Shelfer 5:01

Oh, that just sounds really heavy to me Daunting. And that just sounds like something I don't want to deal with. Am I right, or am?

Jason Shelfer 5:10

I right 100%. But then I took the first step.

Breaking goals into manageable steps

Jana Shelfer 5:13

I was like, okay, well, let's download the Visa app Download the Australian Visa app, and then let's just start working through this.

Jason Shelfer 5:21

One step at a time.

Jana Shelfer 5:22

And then, once we start working through this, okay, let's get our passports, let's make sure our passports are updated, validated.

Jason Shelfer 5:31

All the little checks are in place.

Jana Shelfer 5:35

And once we started doing all these little things, all of a sudden I'm like, okay, that's done.

Jason Shelfer 5:47

We're just waiting now on them. Yeah, it's incredible how much got done literally in the first week of putting everything on paper and how fluidly it went.

Jana Shelfer 5:52

In fact, I think we could probably mark off at least 10 things.

Jason Shelfer 5:56

It was incredible.

Jana Shelfer 5:58

And it felt effortless in a way. It felt like, okay, we're getting this done, but it doesn't seem like such a big chore that it's going to just wear me out.

Jason Shelfer 6:11

I think that's the key. So you said effortless and it was so maybe not effortless Right. Like it was, it was like worthwhile, Like it was like we're getting, we're making progress. It was almost like yes, I think that's the thing, and when you're putting in the effort and you're making progress, it feels good.

Jana Shelfer 6:34

No, Like that's the thing. It felt like we were shooting toward a target.

Jason Shelfer 6:38

That's huge, instead of just shooting in the air and hoping to hit something. And I think that's where, a lot of times, when we have a to-do list and we're not certain, like there's that uncertainty barrier that's kind of hanging over us because we're not, we haven't dialed in those little steps. It's like we wonder is this step the way? Yes, you know, and then like so then we procrastinate and we're like I don't want to take the step because I'm not certain it's the way. But if we dial down and say, ok, well, let's just try this and then we'll figure out that next step, because movement creates progress, and that's kind of what we did. We dialed down to the basic step, knowing that's going to move us one step closer to something, knowing that's going to move us one step closer to something, yes, and so we recognized the win, recognized the progress, and then we knew that we had gained traction, gained momentum towards the goal.

Jana Shelfer 7:35

And then we just kept moving forward. Once you start getting traction, you start getting these little dopamine hits in your brain that those hormones, those chemicals almost are like fuel.

Jason Shelfer 7:49

They're like little momentum masters.

Jana Shelfer 7:51

They are.

Jason Shelfer 7:52

It's like confidence boosters that say go get one more. It is Go get another.

Jana Shelfer 7:57

That's why gamifying works. You know, whenever an app says like right now I'm learning Spanish, and it says, oh, you know, you've done 18 days in a row, that's right, you know, don't lose it now. And so, because I want that little dopamine hit, I'm like I better take time out to go do my Spanish.

Jason Shelfer 8:16

Don't lose your streak.

Jana Shelfer 8:18

Gracias Por favor. Anyway. So if I can maybe help anyone that's listening today, I would say get it out of your head. Get it out of your head, Get it on paper Now that for us, right now in our life, that is goals, dreams and how to get there.

Jason Shelfer 8:41

And I think working together on something has helped tremendously, because how often in the past have we both gone off and started working on the same thing?

Jana Shelfer 8:53

Yes.

Jason Shelfer 8:54

And now we don't have to do that anymore.

Jana Shelfer 8:56

And now it's like okay, it's almost like we can assign okay this is Jason's task. This is Jana's task.

Jason Shelfer 9:02

No more buying four tickets on airplanes somewhere and then being like oh crap, I got to go, cancel my reservation.

Jana Shelfer 9:09

Jason's bought tickets and I bought tickets and I was like I thought I was doing us a favor. Yeah, I was like I thought I was doing us a favor. Yeah, I was like I found a great deal on tickets. You're draining our bank account. That's what's happening. Oh, now I feel.

Jason Shelfer 9:21

Like I'm going to jump on this right away. I was just trying to. I'll surprise her. I was just trying to help.

Jana Shelfer 9:26

Anyway get it out on paper Now. I suggest putting it on a wall where you can see it. Then chunk it down and ask yourself the question what is one step I can do right now to get a little closer to my goal?

Jason Shelfer 9:42

Yeah, and if you can say what is the easiest step I can do right now, then you're going to get that dopamine hit.

Jana Shelfer 9:48

Because you're going to be like, oh my gosh, I can do that right now.

Jason Shelfer 9:50

That'll help you take the next best step, and this is for anything.

Jana Shelfer 9:54

I know, I know it's so simple, and yet we don't always do what we know.

Jason Shelfer 10:01

Right.

Jana Shelfer 10:02

We don't always do it. There's a million reasons of why we don't always do it.

Key takeaways for success

Jason Shelfer 10:08

We get busy, being busy.

Jana Shelfer 10:09

You say it all the time and sometimes I think we feel the overwhelm makes us feel important. You know what I'm saying? Like, oh gosh, if I'm overwhelmed, that means I've got a lot going on in my life.

Jason Shelfer 10:19

Look how busy I am. I'm so busy, I'm so busy, I'm important because I'm busy.

Jana Shelfer 10:24

I'm special In fact, you know, when I was little, I would you know how you play house and things. I can remember saying, oh, I'm too busy today.

Jason Shelfer 10:34

Oh, I'm so busy. I'm so busy.

Jana Shelfer 10:35

We learn that from our parents and I'm like I don't even know what that means, but I'm busy.

Jason Shelfer 10:39

And then we're like I'm so tired when I get home. I just work so hard. Be proud of me, Right.

Jana Shelfer 10:46

Those are limiting beliefs that we learn just from the way people speak.

Jason Shelfer 10:52

Yes so good.

Jana Shelfer 10:57

Ah, from the way people speak yes, so good, okay, so get it out of your brain, put it on a wall where you can see it, and this can be as simple as I. Have laundry to do. Okay, what's the next best step? Well, let's get the basket and take it into the laundry room.

Jason Shelfer 11:09

There you go.

Jana Shelfer 11:10

Or let's just gather all of the dirty clothes up the floor, right. I mean, it can be as simple steps like that and before you know it, you will actually be way more productive than you even thought possible.

Jason Shelfer 11:25

And that is the way to goals, dreams and organized success pattern.

Jana Shelfer 11:33

Love it. Thanks for joining us.

Jason Shelfer 11:34

Keep Living Lucky®.

Jana Shelfer 11:35

Bye-bye. If the idea of Living Lucky® appeals to you, visit us at www. LivingLucky. com.