From Overwhelmed to On-Point: A Guide for High Achievers Feeling the Heat

Victoria Canham • 16 October 2024 • 7 min read

"Stop wearing overwhelm as a badge of honour. Real strength is knowing when to reset."

You’re used to pressure. Hell, you thrive on it. But lately, that familiar drive has turned into something else—like you’re juggling flaming knives, and the heat is getting a bit too close for comfort.

If you’ve found yourself second-guessing decisions, struggling to keep up with everything on your plate, and feeling like you’re falling short, this one’s for you.

Let’s cut through the noise, get real about what’s going on, and find a way to turn that chaos into clarity.

1. Why Feeling Like You’re Juggling Flaming Knives Isn’t Sustainable (And How to Drop the Guilt)

Recognising the Signs of Overwhelm: As a high achiever, it’s easy to mistake being constantly busy with being productive. But when your days start feeling like a blur of meetings, decisions, and endless to-dos, it’s time to pause and reassess.

Signs like a lack of focus, struggling to prioritise, or feeling like no matter how much you accomplish, it’s never enough—these are red flags. They indicate that your usual methods of handling stress aren’t working anymore. I have

Acknowledge that this is not a weakness; it’s a signal from your body and mind that you’ve been pushing too hard for too long.

Why Guilt Is Fuelling the Fire: Many high performers believe that feeling overwhelmed means they’re not as tough as they should be. It’s easy to think, “I’ve handled worse before—why can’t I manage this?”

But guilt is an emotional drain that adds to the mental load. It keeps you from accepting help, scaling back when needed, or shifting strategies.

The truth? Even the most successful people need a reset now and then. You’re not failing; you’re human. The faster you let go of that guilt, the faster you’ll start making real progress again.

The Myth of ‘Just Push Through’: You’re used to muscling through obstacles. That mindset has gotten you far, but it’s not going to get you to the next level anymore. If pushing through was enough, you wouldn’t be reading this. Pushing through might help you survive a tough day or week, but if it’s your only strategy, it will lead to burnout. Think of it like a sports car in the red—revving the engine might feel powerful, but keep it up, and you’ll blow the engine. It’s time to start working smarter, not just harder. That means being strategic about where you place your energy, not burning it all in a race to nowhere.

A Simple Exercise to Shift Perspective:

✳️ Take 10 minutes and write down your top 5 priorities in life right now—be brutally honest.

✳️ Now, look at your schedule for the past week. How much of your time aligns with those priorities?

✳️ This exercise is a reality check for most people. If your time and energy aren’t lining up with what you say matters most, you’ve got your starting point for making real changes.

2. How to Make Decisions Without Second-Guessing Yourself Into a Frenzy

Decision Fatigue is Real: Successful people make hundreds of decisions every day—from strategic choices in the boardroom to the little ones like what to eat for lunch. But even the sharpest minds have a limit.Decision fatigue is when your brain’s ability to make well-thought-out choices starts to wear down, leading to indecision or overthinking even simple matters.If you’re finding yourself stuck in analysis paralysis over decisions that used to come easily, it’s time to take stock of where your mental energy is going.

Building a Mental Framework for Faster Decisions: Think of this as your personal playbook for decision-making. It’s a set of rules you establish that guide how you approach choices, freeing up mental bandwidth.For example, “Does this align with my top 3 goals?” or “Will this bring me closer to the life I want in the next 6 months?” If the answer is no, move on.This isn’t about being rigid; it’s about giving yourself a framework so you can stop second-guessing and trust your judgement.When you have these guidelines in place, you reduce the constant mental back-and-forth and start moving faster.

My Chef’s Trick: ‘Prep Once, Execute Smoothly’: When I was a chef, I learned that the secret to a smooth service is prepping everything in advance, in fact we used to say “mise en place saves lives” —measuring ingredients, setting up stations, and getting everything in place before the first order comes in.

✳️ You can apply the same idea to decision-making. For example, set aside time each week to plan out key actions, organise your schedule, and make as many decisions in advance as possible.

✳️ When the heat is on, you’ll be ready to execute without fumbling around, which means less stress and more focus when it matters most.

The Power of Delegation: High achievers often think, “If I want it done right, I’ll do it myself.” But this mentality is holding you back.

Delegating isn’t about giving up control; it’s about freeing up your mental space to focus on what you’re truly good at. It’s about trusting others with tasks so you can put your energy into decisions that only you can make.

Start small—delegate one or two tasks you usually hold onto. Watch how much bandwidth you gain, how much more clearly you can think about the bigger picture and how empowered your team starts to become.

3. Chef’s Secret: How I Turned the Chaos of a Professional Kitchen into a Lesson for Managing Stress

The Kitchen as a Pressure Cooker: Imagine a kitchen during a Saturday night dinner rush—orders flying in, knives clattering, and the relentless heat from the stoves. It’s chaos, but it’s also a masterclass in staying calm under pressure.

The key lesson? When everything around you is chaotic, it’s all about controlling your reaction. Instead of trying to control every variable, focus on managing yourself—your actions, your mindset, your energy. It makes for good television but screaming and shouting Gordon Ramsay style, only makes things worse, for everyone. You can’t motivate from a place of fear. And here’s a little secret, Gordon doesn’t really shout like that in his own kitchens. Seriously, do you think the kind of high performing talent he employs would stick around if he did?

The more you try to control every outcome, the more stressed you become. But when you learn to focus on what you can control—your next move—you gain clarity.

Staying Focused When the Heat Is On: In the kitchen, losing focus means mistakes, wasted time, and unhappy customers. The same applies to life and business. Here’s a practice from my chef days: Take a moment to breathe before diving into the chaos. It sounds small, but in those few seconds, you regain your focus and sharpen your next move.It’s about learning to reset even in the middle of a shitstorm, so you don’t get swept away by the excrement.

The Power of Recovery Between Bursts: After a hectic dinner service, chefs know to take a breather before the next rush. It’s a moment to recover, refuel, and reset.

✳️ Apply this to your life: build in micro-recoveries between high-intensity work periods, whether it’s a 10-minute walk, a quick workout, or even a few deep breaths. It’s not about long breaks; it’s about intentional pauses.

These small moments recharge your mind, helping you maintain your edge throughout the day instead of burning out by midday.

A Simple Framework for Managing Stress:

Step 1: Identify what’s truly within your control (and what’s not).

Step 2: Break down your most stressful tasks into smaller, manageable steps—just like prepping ingredients in a kitchen.

Step 3: Prioritise recovery after high-stress moments to prevent burnout.

Step 4: Repeat the process, adapting as you go. The aim isn’t to eliminate stress but to manage it like a pro.

4. The Mindset Shifts That Will Help You Stop Spinning Your Wheels and Start Making Real Progress

Reframing Success: It’s Not Just About Hustle: You’ve spent years believing that working harder is the only way to reach the next level. But there’s a shift that happens when you realise success isn’t just about effort—it’s about focus.

Reframing success means measuring your progress by the quality of your actions, not just the quantity. It’s not about how many hours you grind; it’s about what you can accomplish in those hours.

This change in mindset frees you from the trap of constant hustle, allowing you to create space for what truly matters.

Focus on Quality, Not Quantity: Picture this: You could spend all day answering emails and checking off minor tasks, or you could spend an hour focusing on the one decision that could change the game for you.

The difference between spinning your wheels and making real progress often comes down to how you prioritise your time.

Start each day by identifying the one or two actions that will make the biggest impact. Focus on those first, before getting bogged down in the small stuff.

The ‘Uncomplicated Wins’ Strategy:

✳️ Not every win has to be groundbreaking. Sometimes, it’s the simple wins—like leaving the office on time or saying no to that extra commitment—that keep you on track.

✳️ Make a list of 3 things you can do today that would make life just a bit easier or more manageable. Achieving these “uncomplicated wins” will build momentum and get you back on track.

✳️ By stacking these small wins, you build the resilience to tackle the bigger challenges with a clearer mind.

Why Seeking Help Is a Power Move: There’s a reason every top athlete has a coach—because they know the value of an outside perspective.

You’ve already proven that you can achieve great things on your own, but sometimes, getting to the next level means bringing in someone who can see what you’re missing.

Think of it as investing in your own performance. The right support doesn’t just help you achieve your goals—it makes the journey less stressful and a hell of a lot more satisfying.

What Can You Do?

If you’ve been feeling the heat, know that you don’t have to do this alone— there’s a way to transform that chaos into clarity.

You don’t have to be constantly juggling or burning yourself out to achieve great things. By adjusting your approach and shifting your mindset, you can turn overwhelm into your secret weapon.

Ready to stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress? Let’s chat—book your free discovery call today and let’s turn things around.

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Victoria Canham - Your Performance Partner

Victoria is an ICF-accredited certified professional coach, who offers personalised performance coaching. With a background in change management and countless hours of professional coaching training and experience, I made the big switch to full-time coaching in 2020. I know what it is like to suddenly have the rug pulled out from under you while you're busy making other plans, as a result, I now help people like you to bounce back from adversity and major setbacks to emerge stronger and better than ever before. Our clients have transformed from feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges to confident, goal-driven individuals who navigate life's obstacles with ease. They've achieved their personal and professional objectives and embodied peak performance in all aspects of life. You too can experience this transformation. This is your moment. Your chance to take control, to choose growth over stagnation, achievement over inaction. This is your opportunity to prove to yourself that you're not defined by your challenges—you're defined by how you rise above them. Are you ready to transform your life and achieve peak performance?