It can’t be done!
It can’t be done!
My teammates and I looked at each other with big eyes. I could tell they were thinking what I was thinking.
Our stakeholder wanted too much. The ask was too big. There was no way it could be done, at least not in the timeframe she was expecting.
“Come back to me with your plan,” she said.
“Um, ok.” I had no idea how we were going to do everything she hoped for.
It was just too much. Too overwhelming. We didn’t know where to start, much less how to do it all.
Have you ever felt this way?
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when we’re facing a big goal.
Sometimes, especially when others aren’t holding our feet to the fire, we can avoid even thinking about it, postpone any progress, not make any traction.
The job search that doesn’t even start because it feels too overwhelming to think about that on top of a full time job.
The promotion we don’t push for, because we’re daunted by putting together the case for consideration.
The home project that stays on the vision board because we get a headache just thinking about everything that will need to be tackled.
What have you avoided or put off because it feels too big to even start?
If you’re like most of us, there’s something. Perhaps even multiple somethings.
Ideas we never pitch.
Projects we never start.
Goals we don’t set.
Perhaps today is your day to get started. Try one of these ideas to make it easier:
Take the lazy approach
Sometimes, thinking about how a lazy person would approach the project can give us a starting place, maybe even making it easier.
How would the lazy person gather the information needed to make the decision? Get dinner on the table after an exhausting day? Get ready for the investor presentation?
Timebox it
Giving ourselves a set window to do the thing can be enough to un-overwhelm the situation. Often, once the timer chirps we’ve made enough headway to feel less daunted by the task at hand.
How far could you get in laying out next year’s strategy if you locked yourself in a room for 3 hours? How many performance reviews could you complete while your kid is at basketball practice? Could you get a good-enough draft of your roadmap completed on your trans-atlantic flight?
Strategically delay
Identifying what doesn’t need to be figured out yet can give clarity to what does.
Do you need to know your marketing tagline to start talking with customers about your product idea? Can you wait on figuring out the paint color until after the tile goes in? Do you need to know your raise and promotion budget before you identify your top performers?
The next time you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the task at hand, what would be helpful? Thinking about the lazy way to get the job done, timeboxing your initial effort, or strategically delaying elements that don’t need to be addressed yet can help make the overwhelming just a bit easier…and help you get the traction to get going.
What helps you get unstuck? Will you reach out and let me know?
November 6, 2025
About the author:
Christina Von Stroh is a leadership coach who helps her clients become wildly successful by applying iterative software development practices to achieve their dreams. Want to work with Christina to help you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
Book your free strategy session.
