That Feeling When You Do Not Know What to Do
For some of us, we are are on the constant grind. We are balancing our careers, our personal aspirations, relationships and our families.
You may know exactly what I mean by trying to balance that life and time thing.
As for me, there is so much I want to do in all of those areas, but have yet to do.
Time for certain is a culprit.
But time is not the only challenge.
What bothers me more than time is not knowing what to do when I don't know what to do. You may be familiar with that too.
That uncertainty leaves me feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Sometimes it keeps me from taking action.
Are you familiar with that feeling?
If so, that begs the question, how do you tackle not knowing what to do when you don't know what to do?
Dealing with Not Knowing What to Do
Impulse says do this, this, and this, to tackle this beast. But I do not think that is the right approach.
The more I consider this topic I realize that is not where we should start.
You see, I am big on understanding the why of problems and issues.
No problem can be solved and nothing that needs to be changed can be changed without first understanding why it is happening.
So my take on dealing with what to do when you do not know what to do stems from why we think that way.
Once we understand the why, then we can take action.
What's Really Happening?
What follows are seven ideas as to what leads to those feelings of anxiousness, overwhelm, and even inaction as a result of not knowing what to do when you don't know what to do.
1. Needing to know the answer: Are you the type to watch a movie or read a book and want to know the ending at the beginning? You are in search of the answer. In fact, you need answers. That is how you tick. Therefore, when approaching the unknown you feel lost without the answer.
2. Fighting with yourself about needing to be right: When we are uncertain, we do not know what is right and what is wrong. And if you have a thing for being right or not making a mistake, well yeah, uncertainty is going to cause you anguish.
3. Needing to be in control: Not knowing what to do leaves you vulnerable. You cannot control anything if you have no idea what to do. All you know is what you want. What freaks you out is not knowing what to do in order to get it.
4. Don't want to waste time: Ooo wee! I get so mad at myself when I waste time. The last thing you want to do when you hate wasting time is choose the wrong path or the wrong idea. Surely, that is time better spent on moving in the right direction or working towards the right idea. (See Needing to Know the Answer above).
5. Fear of missing out on other opportunities: This is up there with wasting time. The question runs through your mind, “What will I miss while I am working to figure out what I should do?” That, to you, is an opportunity you might miss and it frightens you.
6. Wanting too much at once: You are ambitious. And when you add all the above, you quite possibly want too much at once. With needing to make too many decisions at the same time, being pulled in one too many directions, you become overwhelmed. Not only that, but you get nowhere. In the end you are left feeling anxious and like you have accomplished nothing.
7. Trying to fly solo: You are only including yourself in what you do. You get so bogged down in the details of trying to figure out what to do, you lose sight of asking for help or delegating.
What Do You Do When You Don't Know What to Do?
All the above may very well be you. I know for certain it ALL describes me. It is for all the reasons I listed above that I get anxious and overwhelmed when I do not know what to do when you don't know what to do.
What I came to realize is that everything in life is a process. There will be plenty of times that we do not know what to do and there is nothing wrong with that.
The best we can do for ourselves is to start with one thing. Not a bunch of things. One.
Choose the one thing that will have the most impact in that particular area of your life.
Do not worry about making mistakes, choosing the wrong path, or missing out. During the process you will learn more, especially about yourself. You may even learn, yes, you chose the wrong path. Regroup and try something else.
Ask for help. Delegate to those who know what to do. If you do not know someone, find someone.
Question for you: Where do you begin when you don't know what to do? Share in the comments.