Managing Chaos
December 21, 2021
The definition of chaos is “complete disorder and confusion.” It’s a feeling you’re likely familiar with, and it’s one that many of us struggle to manage. Living in a state of chaos can result in hectic attitudes, anger, and exhaustion. Learning to reduce chaos in your life can drastically improve your mood, stress levels, and motivation.
Chaos is a compilation of multiple responsibilities and obligations that may not feel chaotic on their own, but become overwhelming when grouped together.
Chaos is like a junk drawer, where useful items are labeled as junk simply because they’re hard to organize and use amidst the mess. Letting life’s responsibilities build up (like a junk drawer) can become burdensome, and your threshold for managing your ever-growing list of obligations is different from anyone else's.
When you’re in a chaotic frame of mind, how does it impact you emotionally and motivationally? What tasks do you avoid? And do you recognize how you’re feeling?
When life feels out of control, it's important to learn how to get back on track. Managing chaos can be challenging, but once you’ve developed a system that works for you, it’s likely to get easier.
Here’s a road map to managing chaos in your life:
Acknowledge your feelings of chaos first. Then you can begin to learn how to manage it.
Assess what you are doing that contributes to the chaos and how it impacts your ability to manage tasks and responsibilities. Take time to reflect and understand how your decisions contribute to your chaos. Consider their impact on your overall well-being and capacity for managing life’s complexities.
Get curious. Understand how tasks, responsibilities, or deadlines simultaneously occurring influence your mindset, happiness, and experiences.
Define your boundaries. Identify things you will or will not do and be intentional with your time; prioritize your responsibilities and don’t overcommit.
Keys to ongoing success:
Value your time. Focus on meeting your needs before meeting anyone else's. Believe in yourself and make yourself a priority. It’s okay if this feels uncomfortable —this is where growth happens.
Organize. As mentioned above, your road map helps you organize your thoughts and feelings and understand what contributes to your chaos—and the steps you can take to manage it.
Continually manage your chaos. This is an ongoing process. Old habits die hard. Like a messy junk drawer, life’s stressors can quickly escalate into chaos—but they don’t have to.
Whether your goal is to turn your anxiety into peace, unawareness into self-awareness, or your reactive nature, proactive — you will find there are many benefits when constructing healthy ways to manage chaos.
