Have you ever found yourself so overwhelmed by all the things you don’t know, that instead of diving in, you freeze and do nothing?

Or maybe, you’ve sat with several options or tasks in front of you, and you didn’t know which to attempt first so, you did nothing?

Or quite possibly you found yourself in a situation in which your to-do list was so long that you vacillated over prioritizing the items and you ended up (let’s all say it together)…

DOING NOTHING?!?!

Sometimes, despite our strong desire to do something well, we get stuck in the learning, planning and organizing modes and end up, well, STUCK. Moving forward even an inch seems impossible simply because you don’t know what to do first… or next… or maybe at all.

Its maddening isn’t it? I know. I’ve been there. But don’t worry. I’ve got some tips that can help you put your overwhelmed and anxious mind to rest and start being productive. It’s time to stop drinking from the fire hose and pour yourself a glass of sweet, sip-able success. Here are three go-to things you can do when you are feeling overwhelmed and lost.

Make a List

Sometimes simply laying it all out on paper helps you see your situation clearly. When you get all the noise out of your head and down on the page, you can see that it really isn’t too much to manage.

Whether the noise in your head is a list of scenes, a list of character traits, a list of social media posts or a list of potential blog topics, WRITE THEM DOWN. In addition to now being able to do something with the items on the list, this simple act will also allow your brain to think about something else. Maybe it’s a tricky plot element or your grocery list, honestly it doesn’t matter. Your brain will move from a foggy and chaotic state to a space that is clear and ready to move forward and onto new things.

Ask for Help

If you call yourself a writer in today’s publishing industry, you are essentially an entrepreneur, or as I like to call myself, an authorpreneur. There’s a lot more to it than actually writing. And it’s pretty difficult to be good at all of it. Please know that it is okay to ask for help.

This point was brilliantly illustrated to me when I learned the exact number of employees Instagram had before they sold their company to Facebook for one billion dollars. Any guesses? 1,500? 709? 94? Nope. THIRTEEN. Do you know how they made that work? They focused on doing what they did best and hired out the rest.

Now I realize that big budgets aren’t all that common in the writing world but think about it this way. If you attempt a foreign task yourself it will take an investment of time and energy to learn how to do this new skill, time that you could have spent honing your writing craft, completing a project or you know, actually getting a good night’s sleep. Also, you run the risk of doing this new task poorly, which could have long term consequences on your career. If you hire someone to do something you currently know nothing about, it could be cheaper in the long run.

There are many things you can do, can learn, can master… but my advice is that if you see something on your list that is positively mind-boggling and well outside your current skill set (and you can find someone to help you within your budget) then definitely consider it. In the past I have hired out the jobs of book cover designing, website wireframing, and email newsletter automation set up. I still hire out copy editing on every book I publish. If you are looking for affordable help in any of these areas or anything that feels formidable on your to-do list, email me. I’d love to recommend some of my favorite industry professionals!

Just Start!

Okay, I know this seems contrary to the prior advice, but sometimes, you just gotta get going. Even if you do make a mistake, you’ll definitely learn something along the way. To be honest, I kind of cringe when I look back at the first books I self-published. There are so many things I would do differently now. But you know what? If I hadn’t gone all in and given it a try, I likely wouldn’t be the author of nine (soon to be ten!) books, right now. I could still be stuck, spinning my wheels and wishing for things that hadn’t yet come true. Sure, you might move two steps forward and three back… but at least you are moving, at least you aren’t stuck. When all else fails, write, and see what happens.

On Friday I’m going to be releasing three new products and four new services to help you MOVE.

Raise your hand if you…

Have a great idea for a book, but aren’t sure how to turn that idea into a “beginning-middle-and-end” story .
Would love some ideas on marketing your soon-to-be/already published book.
Are interested in blogging but don’t know how to take what you know and turn it into shareable content.
Want to self-publish a book but have no idea what’s actually involved or are overwhelmed by the process.
Would love to write, but find the blank page daunting.
Need a little help sprucing up the visual content on your website/blog/social media feed.
Would like to add a blog to your website, but don’t actually want to write the posts.

Is your hand up?

Whether you need information, inspiration, a friendly guide or someone to take something off your plate (so you can focus on everything else in your writing world), I’ve got you covered. I am so excited about this new avenue of my writing work and can’t wait to share it with you. If you want to be one of the FIRST to know when the products go live on Friday, join my eNewsletter. In addition to getting the inside scoop, you’ll also get a PDF with 5 writing prompts to hold you over until Friday arrives.

P.S. If Blogging is an item on your NEED HELP list, I’d love for you to join me at my Blogging Workshop next month. We will be focusing on brainstorming ideas and content creation, with a little information about the importance of graphics and a few networking tips sprinkled in. You can learn more and register here.

**If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. If you are interested in any of my eNewsletters (for general news, teachers or writers) click HERE. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest. **

Today’s post post was made beautiful by CANVA and is categorized in my blog archive under Authorpreneur Advice. Check out the entire collection here.