How To Deal With Overwhelm

How to Beat Overwhelm & Start Achieving Your Goals

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before…

You’re creative. You’re driven. You’re passionate about writing. You have endless ideas, a blog, a novel in the works, a growing writing career.

With that kind of epic creative charge, you feel like you should have seen more projects through to fruition by now… right?

But instead, you keep finding yourself sighing at the end of each week, consumed by a sense of overwhelm rather than a sense of accomplishment.

You’re all over the place.

You feel frustrated—maybe even jealous when you see other writers who “have their shit together”.

Why can’t you seem to make things happen?

There are many reasons an idea doesn’t become a finished project, but I believe one of the most common is overwhelm.

To deal with overwhelm, you have to take a close look at the way you’re living.

Let’s examine this modern epidemic from all angles, so we can get off the inspiration hamster wheel and start making moves. Here’s our best advice on how to beat overwhelm and start achieving your goals.

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Drinking Coffee with Writers - Katarina Hybenova - 2

Drinking Coffee with Writers: Editor & Powerhouse Katarina Hybenova

Photo by Maya Harsaniova

One day, while I was walking down the street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, I witnessed a building go up in flames.

I was close to the fire, and my millennial brain propelled me to whip out my camera and snap away. I didn’t just want to post them on social media, though, so I emailed them to a local news website called Bushwick Daily.

Editor-in-chief Katarina Hybenova responded, publishing my photos within minutes.

No one was hurt in the fire, so I felt slightly less guilty about the process of witnessing and reporting on something. In the end, I thought, “why not give local journalism a try?”

I submitted myself as a contributor, and a week later I was sipping cocktails on a sun-soaked patio with 10 other writers and Katarina herself.

Immediately, I knew she’d be a blast to work with. She’s was a platinum blonde boss babe with an amazing sense of humor, and she called me Mishka, which I appreciated—it’s one of my nicknames, yanno.

I soon learned that she’s also a stellar content manager, thoughtful editor, and natural leader.

Her resume includes positions as digital editor at massive local news website QNS, as well as founder and editorial director of Bushwick Daily. She was also a 2014 fellow at Tow Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism.

…oh, and she used to be a lawyer. How badass is this gal?

I thought she would be the perfect person to interview for the launch of our brand new series, Drinking Coffee with Writers.

Below, check out her top tips for writers and discover how she spends a typical day (hint: it involves getting up at 5:30AM to write).

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How To Deal With Overwhelm 8

What’s It Really Like To Quit Your Day Job?

I walked into my boss’ office on a snowy winter morning, knowing my life was about to change. I’d never been so excited, so sure of anything before.

I was going to quit my job.

I think he knew what I was about to say when I knocked on the frame of his open door. The conversation was underway before I had a chance to think twice. There was no turning back. Plane tickets were booked.

It was time to jump…

If you’re anything like me, you’ve daydreamed about this moment yourself.

You might have read books about how to escape the corporate grind and followed the blogs of those successfully pulling it off.

You’re not alone if you’ve wondered “is it really possible to quit your job and live life on your own terms?”

And the answer, of course…

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4 Things You Need To Become A Digital Nomad

DJO Podcast 001: 4 Things You Need To Become A Digital Nomad

We’re kicking off the new year with a brand new podcast series!

Presenting, the first ever episode of the DJO podcast: 4 Things You Need To Become A Digital Nomad.

Going remote is easier than you think! If you’ve been debating whether the digital nomad lifestyle is right for you, this episode will shed some light on your inner-debate.

We give you a breakdown of the simple, essential things you need before you cut the cord and go full blown remote. As a bonus, you can hear us sing in creepy voices at the very end. So worth it.

You can listen to the entire episode below.

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