Overwhelmed + Stuck = Procrastination

Sometimes it's not that we don't know what to do. It's that everything feels like too much. 

Do you ever open your laptop, look at your to-do list, and immediately want to hide under the bed?

That’s overwhelm.

It’s what happens when your brain has too many tabs open - deadlines, errands, unread emails, laundry, goals you care about (but also kind of hate right now). It’s not that you don’t know what to do. It’s that everything feels urgent, and you can’t figure out where to start.

Everything feels important, so nothing feels doable. And when you can’t figure out where to start, your brain throws up its hands and goes, “Let’s just do... nothing.”

Totally normal. Super common. Zero percent helpful. 

So you stall. You scroll. You zone out. And then you feel bad for zoning out, which makes it even harder to move.

Your brain is smart, but it’s not built for juggling 37 open tabs! When you’re overwhelmed, your nervous system shifts into survival mode. Instead of taking action, it freezes.

No, seriously - this is a biological response. Your brain is trying to protect you.

So if you’ve ever looked at your inbox or laundry pile and thought, “Nope. Not today,” and then ended up scrolling Facebook for two hours, that’s not laziness. That’s a system overload.

A lot of the time, we don’t get stuck because we’re lazy. We get stuck because we care - a lot. 

You want it to go well. You want to do it right. And the fear of messing it up or doing it “wrong” keeps you from starting at all.

But when that pressure builds, even small tasks feel huge. And the fear of doing it wrong (or just badly) can freeze you before you even start.

It’s perfectionism in disguise. And it’s exhausting.

When you’re overwhelmed, your brain doesn’t want big goals - it wants safety. It wants something small, easy, and low-stakes that says, “Hey, we’re okay. We’re moving.”

This is where small wins come in.

You don’t need to build a whole new routine overnight. You just need one tiny action that feels doable. That one win gives you a little boost. That boost helps you take another step. That’s how you shift from stuck to moving.

And when you’re stuck, anything that helps you feel a little more in control is a win.

1. Make it Simple

Cross off anything on your list that doesn’t HAVE to get done today. Pick onething you can do. Start there.

2. Make it Fun

Play your favorite song. Wear the cozy socks. Work in 20-minute chunks. Whatever makes the task feel less awful, do that.

3. The Takeaway

Being overwhelmed doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means your brain is asking for a breather. Give it one, then take one tiny step. Let small wins carry you forward. That’s how momentum starts.

If you’re stuck in that “I know what I should do, but I just can’t make myself do it” place, I’ve made something for you.

It’s called Start Small, Win Big - a super simple, super affordable, quickstart workbook to help you get unstuck and build momentum with small, doable wins.

No fluff, no pressure. Just a low-key system you can actually use.

👉 Grab the workbook here

It’s basically your cheat sheet for getting out of your own head and into action. This is the system I wish I had when I was spinning my wheels - zero pressure, just a clear path to your first few wins. Think of it like a soft reset button for your brain - with none of the pressure of a “perfect” plan.

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