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Part two in our series on ‘Proper Goal Setting’ is probably one of the hardest aspects and components in our society. Overstimulation is a very real thing and requires daily FOCUS and effort to prevent it from wreaking havoc on our lives (and goals). Lets start with defining what this is and looking at some practical ways to combat overstimulation in our lives.

What is overstimulation? 

This is when we become physiologically or mentally stimulated to an excessive degree. To cause something (or someone) to become too active or excited. It is also defined as ‘to be made aggressive or to be ‘hyperactive’.

Why is overstimulation bad to goal setting? 

Overstimulation causes what I call ‘burnout’ where eventually, your body can’t take any more and it starts to shut down. This can display itself through irritability or inability to focus, high and low mood swings, sensitivity to light and hyperactivity. You may find yourself focusing on one project and jumping around tirelessly with no rhyme or reason. The bad thing with overstimulation is it can often times lead to us ‘feeling’ like we are accomplishing a lot when in fact, it cuts down dramatically on our productiveness. This can wreak havoc on setting proper goals because we can’t focus on goals we set (properly anyhow) when we are facing overstimulation in our lives.

How do you balance or fix overstimulation?

Some practical ways to combat overstimulation is to allow yourself time to properly focus on goals, tasks and what is right in front of you. Here are some simple ways that I combat overstimulation in my daily life and I am certain that these tips will not only help you become more productive, but to become a goal setting machine as well!

• Designate Screen Time. Constantly watching screens can prove to be damaging to our long term success not to mention that onslaught of images that bombards us as we watch television or shows. I decided long ago that TV was unproductive to my life and opted to give it up. I think this is up to the individual but this is one area that can greatly damage our goals by sucking up our time & causing overstimulation.
• Shut it Off. Shutting off your phone or turn phone on ‘airplane’ mode when working on important projects or goals can prove to be EXTRA beneficial. Nothing can stunt your growth faster than constantly being interrupted when trying to focus. I even turn my phone on ‘airplane’ mode at night to allow myself to detach from technology and focus in on family time.
• Daily Tasks and ‘To Do’s’. I am constantly a work in progress on this but I find that creating a to do list of the most important tasks for each day is very helpful. To help develop your ‘to do’ list, look at your GOALS and ask yourself what is the most important thing you need to focus on that particular day to achieve the goal. I do not allow myself to do anything else until my list for each day is complete. It is all about focusing in on what is in front of you.
• Limit Browsing. If you are like me, spending a good amount of time on the computer is a part of your day to day routine. While this is and can be beneficial when done properly, it can also be a HUGE part of overstimulation. I limit mindless browsing and am trying to even incorporate limiting my social media to certain time frames to prevent overstimulating myself, sucking up my time and burning myself out.
• Cleanup Your Email. I am a reader. I have always loved it but it can event still become a source of overstimulation to me. I find myself ‘unsubscribing’ from many things that even though interesting, can suck away precious time or leave me feeling like I need to read it all and do it all.

You see, applying the above tips will help to declutter your life and help you to focus on what’s important. Preventing overstimulation in this day and age is a key component to being a more productive person and goal setting machine.

These things were hard for me to apply when I started, we live in a very ‘online’ and social world but I find that now more than ever, preventing overstimulation in our lives will help us grow into healthier more balanced individuals.

CLICK ‘TAKE ACTION’ to begin applying and taking action on this post!