I like to take pride in my organizational skills; however, even the best can falter at times. Lately I have found myself in a state of uncertainty. Let me explain.

Over the past couple of weeks I have taken on many different projects and there is still time left before they can be considered “finished.” The problem is that I haven’t drawn out how things will get done. I say yes to this, this, and that, but I never actually pause to wonder how will it get done? Bring in the uncertainty.

My mind has been cluttered with so many different ideas, that it is having trouble processing what to do first. This is definitely a symptom of horrible planning.

The first instinct for most people is to get things done as quick as possible or at least get it done so they can move on to the next thing. When you don’t have a certain guideline or itinerary that should be followed, your brain tries to figure one out for you. Again, this is where that state of uncertainty comes in.

My mind is focusing on too many different task that I have a hard time singling one out and getting it done. Instead I am either rushing one task and doing it bad, or I am jumping from one to the other leaving them unfinished. Both of which are detrimental to becoming successful at whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.

So how do we over come this level of uncertainty?

1. Stop whatever you are doing and back away

Take a second and move away from your workspace. I recommend going to clean and simple environment. Maybe even try your bathroom. Use this time to just flush (get it) out everything that needs to be done or is circulating in your head, and try to remember what your actual goals or intentions are.

Remembering what you are trying to eventually accomplish should help boost your morale and pump you up; otherwise, maybe you should reconsider if what you are trying to do is worth it.

Essentially you want to try and create a game plan. Envision what should happen when, and how it will work. Think of an athlete who sits on the bench before a game and plays out how the game will go.

2. Create a List

Now hopefully you have refocused on the things that actually need to be done. Keeping things as simple as possible will help in these stages, so I recommend grabbing a pen and paper, but everybody is different. Jot down all you want to get done.

Don’t worry about order or steps to finish the task. Basically we are trying to put what we envisioned in step one onto paper.

3. Breakdown and Strategy

Now that we have an actual visual of what needs to be done, it is time to scan the list. See if we can eliminate or combine some items.

Once we have narrowed things downs, it is time to figure out how it will all get done. Break each task up and make sub-list of what needs to happen in order to complete the projects. Through this stage you may even find more tasks that can be combined together or sub-tasks that will be beneficial for multiple projects.

Try to be as detailed as possible. The less work your brain has to use on getting things done, the more it can be used for creativity.

4. Create Time Line

By now we should have a detailed blueprint of what needs to be done; however, a list of things to do is never complete without a proper time line. If anything, without a time line, we may just end up back in the state of uncertainty.

What I like to do is print out a monthly or weekly calendar from Outlook and divvy up the task. When everything is assigned a time and a deadline, we have essentially created a manifest to success. Now I can just look and follow what the calender says.

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By doing all this, the state of uncertainty should be bypassed. No longer is our brain trying to figure out what needs to be done, but rather now we can just follow what has already been assigned a focus on that actual task at hand.

You many want to take a look at my article on refocusing your goals.

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