Overwhelmed? Try This 3-Step Focus Framework!

Welcome to the Overgivers Anonymous podcast. My name is Angela Mondor, also known as the Geeky Girl. In this podcast, we're going to be talking about some amazing things to help you get over overgiving. Hi there, you're my people, because nothing says neurodivergent entrepreneur quite like mental chaos, creative brilliance, and a constant hum of, I should really be doing something else right now. The truth is, you do not need more willpower. You need better systems and systems that actually work with your brain instead of trying to tame it like a wild squirrel on espresso. So today I'm sharing a 3-step focus framework that I use and that I teach inside the Rockstar Success Circle to help you go from scattered and overwhelmed to aligned and action-ready. Ready? Let's do this. Okay, number 1, we wanna do a brain dump. Okay? So this is where we get all the noise out of our head and Let me be real. My brain dump looks different every single time, or, you know, it varies a lot, shall we say? Sometimes I dump it all into ClickUp, and sometimes it's a tsunami of sticky notes all over my wall. I've done voice notes. I've even vented to my executive assistant, like shout out to Julia, because she's my external hard drive. I have even scribbled things onto scrap pieces of paper. I'm sure you feel the same. What matters isn't how you brain dump, it's that you do it because your brain is not a storage locker, it's a processor. And when it gets overloaded, everything slows down. And so here's my go-to system. It's simple. It's not easy, but it's simple. Green light, do. This needs my attention now. Yellow light, delegate. This can be handed off to somebody else. And red, delete. Doesn't need to happen at all. Sometimes we have things rolling around in our head, and once we put it down, we go, ah, that just is noise. We can delete that. If you're feeling overwhelmed and you can't figure out what to do next, this is your sign that it's time to brain dump. Get it out and sort it. Eventually, yes, everything will land in my ClickUp, but on the way there, it may make a few detours, and that's totally okay. Doesn't matter how it gets done, just that we're getting it done. Now, we're gonna do a bit of a focus filter next, and this can be difficult. It could be the step that is most difficult for most of us. In fact, a lot of neurodivergent people will skip this step, and it's why we end up doing this chasing of squirrel metaphor all the time. It's hard because we don't know how to do it or we can't feel the weight of one thing over another. So you know what? Let's go through this. When I have a massive list of ideas or thoughts, tasks, I don't panic. I get to take this and apply it to a system that we've built here in the Rockstar Success Circle. When we plan out our year, we break it into quarters and then months. And every step of the way, we're asking ourselves as we're doing this planning, is this still aligned with where I wanna go? That's your filter. So when something new pops up, I just have to say, does this support this month's goal? Does it go into this quarter's focus? If not, does it belong later? If it does fit, I figure out where it goes and I can write it in. If it doesn't fit right now, it goes into the idea inbox, which is a place at the back of the Rockstar Planner for your not now but maybe later brilliance. I have chased shiny distractions before. And it has cost me energy and a ton of money. So now, if it's not a hell yes for my current goals, then it's a not yet. And that's okay. It's totally okay to have not yets. The magic isn't in doing everything. It's in knowing what not to do right now. And to be able to say, hey, I know that this is something that can be done in quarter 3, and now we're in quarter 1. Or maybe it's something that belongs next month. Or I don't know where this belongs. Yeah. And we stick it in the idea inbox. Okay? Having a place to put these things reduces that overwhelm. It reduces the worry. Now, I know hyperfocus is something we love. If you have hyperfocus, some of you might not have. I, I'll tell you, hyperfocus was one of my favorite things. However, although it is my superpower, it is completely unpredictable. You can't force it, but you can be ready for it. And so when that big energy shows up, I want a project that's already aligned with my goals. It's already outlined. It's ready to go. There's no decision fatigue. There's just flow. Mm-hmm. And to stay in the zone, I have to make sure that I have the right environment. And for me, that usually means background noise. I have a TV show that doesn't require a lot of my attention. Maybe there's a podcast or some music, an audiobook, something. Silence is not my friend. If it's quiet and the dog barks or a truck rolls by, I am snapped out of my focus instantly. So I need to mitigate that by making sure I have like my earbuds in. I can't hear anything but that background noise. Now, years ago when my kids were little, visual distractions were the issue. So I'd work with all the lights off in a dark room and just the glow of my screen, and I was completely zoned in on what I was doing. You have to figure out what works for you. And remember, just like mine did, yours could change too, okay? But figuring out what works best for you, what fills in the rest of your mental bandwidth, and what kind of tasks are your rocket fuel for your brain during those times, and then how can you make sure that your environment works So that you can help to stay in that zone. The secret to harnessing hyperfocus isn't chasing it. It's just gonna run away like a scared dog. It's in having fuel-ready tasks that are set up and waiting for when the moment happens. Okay? So here's the thing. Big work requires big energy, and hyperfocus requires big energy. You can never ever force this hyperfocus. If you're having a low-energy day, you're probably never gonna get into hyperfocus. These days when we have those higher energy moments, that's when you can start to foster that energy and help you get into a hyperfocus mode by knowing what it is that you need for your environment and what kinds of tasks are gonna fit inside that. Okay? Now, I just wanna recap this for you. Step 1 is to brain dump and sort it, get it outta your head first. Then number 2 is you can use your filter to be able to align those tasks with your real goals. How do they fit in with what you're actually doing. And then make sure that you have those things that you've dumped and which ones will be your hyperfocus things. Which one do you require those bigger energy moments for? Make sure that you are ready when your brain lights up and you're ready to go and you can really take advantage of that hyperfocus. You don't need to change who you are to be productive. You just need to find systems that respect how you work. So here's your permission slip. Stop trying to do all the things. Start doing the right things in the way that fits you. And if you want support creating your own neurodivergent-friendly success system, come hang out with us in the Rockstar Circle because that's where you belong. Until next time, stay brilliant, stay geeky, and for heaven's— close a few of those tabs. Have a great day. I'll talk to you next time. Thank you so much for listening to the Overgivers Anonymous podcast. Your support means the world to me. You can find show notes for this episode and other goodies at overgiversanonymous.ca. And if you enjoyed this episode or you enjoy the podcast in general, why not join us in the Overgivers Anonymous Facebook group where you can connect with overgivers from all over the world? Head on over to geekygirl.ca/group.