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The other day, I was feeling a little down, disorganized and overwhelmed by the projects on my plate, so I comandeered a big table at home, cleared it off, grabbed my biggest sketch pad and a pencil, and started putting everything down on paper.

By the end of it, I’d covered two 11″ x 14″ pages with mind maps and circled words and phrases with dozens of connections.

I also came up with a new productivity exercise (new to me) involving lists.

Now, you know I love me some lists. 🙂

I call this one, “Facts Versus How I Feel,” and it’s been very helpful for me. I hope you find it helpful, too.

How’d it come to pass?

I cannot recommend mind maps enough. I think they’re a great exercise when you’re faced with a challenging or difficult decision, or when you’re just completely overwhelmed.

I sat at that kitchen table for two hours, brainstorming and jotting down my thoughts, including everything I wanted to accomplish this month and over the first half of next year.

Long-term planning is not one of my strengths, but I’m hopeful that things like this will help me improve.

Anyway, one thing I realized over the course of that epic brainstorming session was how my emotions tend to color the way I perceive different tasks and situations.

What are we really talking about here?

Big surprise, but I’m kind of an artsy-fartsy person who likes to talk about her feelings. 🙂

I’m also very emotional, which can be a source of strength, but sometimes it’s also an obstacle. I’m often driven by my emotions, and if I’m feeling any sort of bad energy, like if I’m overwhelmed, frustrated or angry, it interferes with my ability to make rational decisions…

Which is a roundabout way of saying, “I become irrational.”

This exercise helps me sort things out.

What it can do for you

If your emotions sometimes also get the better of you, “Facts Versus How I Feel” might help you see a problem or situation more clearly, and maybe by changing your perspective, you’ll feel more in control.

How does it work?

When you’re feeling really agitated or fired up, grab something to write in/on (I like to use a notebook, but a smartphone or computer would also work) and a pen or pencil.

On two fresh pages in my notebook, I write the words “Facts” at the top of one of them and “How I Feel” at the top of the other.

On the “How I Feel” page, I write down all of the things I’m feeling, using short phrases like, “I’m tired,” or “I feel like crying.”

Then, on the “Facts” page, I write down all of the things I know to be true, like “I’ll calm down eventually,” and “I’ll feel better after I eat.”
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