Brian Gubernick breaks down why overwhelm happens—unclear priorities, too many choices, analysis paralysis—and how your brain shuts down into survival mode. Three moves get you out: stop lying about what you're postponing, pick the best simple option you can do right now instead of chasing perfect, and step away to let your unconscious mind work on it.
Chapters
Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick, and welcome to the No Days Off podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. We all get overwhelmed in life, in business, in relationships, but not everyone handles overwhelm in the same sort of way. In today's episode, I want to break down what causes overwhelm, what it does to us, and most importantly, how to overcome it with clarity, practice, and a bit of mental reprogramming. So let's start with the root causes of overwhelm, because overwhelm doesn't just come out of nowhere. It's, it's oftentimes triggered by a variety of different things, or one of the following, really. It's triggered by a lack of planning. Sometimes it's triggered by a lack of clarity on what really matters. Maybe a crisis or emergency throws everything out of rhythm, and that causes some overwhelm. Too many obligations, not enough prioritization. Too many choices, because options can paralyze us. Create overwhelm. Overthinking every decision, in other words, analysis paralysis, that could trigger some overwhelm. And then lastly, finally, procrastination, because delaying what we know needs to get done just compounds the weight. Now, when we get overwhelmed, our brains typically default to what we're going to call survival mode. What does that mean? It means that when we enter this state of overwhelm, we stop taking action. We become negative. We become cynical. We might retreat to our comfort zone. We panic. We start focusing on the wrong things, you know, like low-leverage activities that, that feel productive, maybe make you feel a little bit better, but they're not really productive. They're not really moving the needle. Worst of all, when we enter overwhelm, we begin to believe we don't have time for the very actions that would actually help us. So we withdraw from support systems. We interpret our overwhelm sometimes as weakness, and we become rigid. We revert to whatever's most familiar, even if it's not helpful. Now, there's a solution. To dealing with this overwhelm? I think there's really 3 core principles for dealing with it. Number 1, don't lie to yourself. Don't lie to yourself. Overwhelm feeds on procrastination and distraction and quiet quitting. Be honest. Be honest with yourself. Are you scrolling the social feeds instead of doing? Are you delaying something because it's hard. That lie, the "I'll feel like doing it later," it's one of the most expensive ones you can tell yourself. So, don't lie to yourself, number 1. Number 2, choose the best simple option. When your mind is spinning, simplicity sometimes is sanity. So, don't chase perfect. Instead, ask, What is one clear, good option that I can do right now? Not the best in theory, but the best you can do today. And then just go do it. So, take action by choosing the simple, the best simple option. And then number 3, let your unconscious mind work. What do I mean when I say that? When I say that, we don't utilize our unconscious mind enough, in my opinion. You ever notice how your best ideas come about in the shower, on a walk, while driving? We've talked about that here at No Days Off. Well, that's your brain solving problems without you forcing it. So let your mind drift, step away if you have to. Don't confuse the stillness with laziness. So let your unconscious mind do some work for you. So again, 3 core principles. Number 1, don't lie to yourself. Number 2, Choose the best simple option. And number 3, let your unconscious mind work. Now, Paul Graham, venture capitalist genius, he said that success comes down to 3 things. He says it comes down to ability, comes down to practice, and it comes down to effort. You don't need to feel ready, you just need to act. Even in the face of overwhelm. Ability, practice, effort. You don't need to feel ready, you just need to act. Now, Ben Horowitz, also a venture capitalist, quite the genius. He offers the following. He says, don't carry it all alone, get help. Play chess, not checkers. Think in terms of systems and not reactions. Stay in the game long enough and you might just get lucky. Don't take your setbacks personally. And if you really want to be great, here's the challenge: get back up when everything in you says to quit. Now, I lean on these two individuals for their wisdom because these are individuals that, gosh, if anybody had an excuse to feel overwhelmed and therefore be potentially paralyzed, stop taking action, maybe be negative or cynical, retreat to comfort zone, It's probably Paul and/or Ben. Overwhelm is not a personal flaw. It's a signal, and it's telling you that you're overloaded. You need clarity. You need a system. It's also telling you you're on the edge of growth. So instead of shutting down, maybe slow down. Be honest. Pick one simple step and trust that your unconscious is still working. And remember, if you want to be great, this, this moment of overwhelm, this is your proving ground. That's all we have for you today, the No Days Off Podcast. Thank you so much for listening, and remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.
