How I Still Get Sh*t Done When I’m Overwhelmed

Hello, my friend. Welcome back to the Modern Hairstylist podcast. I'm gonna be touching on one of your number one struggles. And I know it's one of your number one struggles because y'all tell me all the freaking time, and I've been there where you are, because I've been a freaking independent hairstylist who is working freaking all the time, doing hair, and also working on the business, and maybe having big projects for your business that you would like to get done because you know that it's going to move the needle forward.

I personally, right now at the time of recording this, am in the midst of some very large projects, things that are taking up a lot of time, things where there are a ton of different variables, a ton of different things that I need to focus on and finish. And it's absolutely 100% overwhelming, and it's really easy when you're in this space to feel paralyzed, and not want to do anything, and to give up, and in the middle of the work start to get very anxious and start to scroll because we want to distract ourselves from the work. Whatever it may be, I feel you right now really hard. And so I wanna speak a little bit today with you about my personal experience and how I'm getting through the overwhelm and how I'm working through the large project, even though I have so many different things going on, in hopes that it'll help you in one way or another, um, and maybe you can adopt some of the ways that I'm approaching this, uh, and it'll help you get through whatever projects that you're going through, um, or just hopefully it'll give you a kick in the ass to get some shit done.

So, uh, we're gonna get into it today. What's going on, Jodi? How are you? Hey.

I'm so good. I love this conversation. I feel like the entrepreneurial overwhelm struggle is so real. Yeah.

Jodi, when's the last time you felt like you were freaking overwhelmed and crazy and, uh, you... it was difficult for you to stay motivated and get shit done? You know, I think, like, in terms of when the last time I felt that way, last week when I got sick. Mm.

The last time I let it stop me was a little bit longer time ago, because I- Right. this is something I've definitely kind of worked through, um, but I remember a period, like, particularly in year one and year two, where I was feeling overwhelmed, like, all the time. Yeah. And it was like there was just so much on my plate, and I think what you said is so right, where you'll scroll to, like, disassociate, and then you end up- Yeah.

getting further behind, and then- Yes. you know what I mean? So it's such a, a vicious cycle sometimes. 100%.

And, uh, you know, I think that's something that is 100% a part of this, which is getting thrown curveballs. Like, what happens when, like, something unexpected comes up, and how do you handle it, and how do you make it- Mm-hmm. so it doesn't hold you back from continuing forward? And do you decide that actually, "This does have to hold me back right now."

Like, d- do you... wh- how do you decide, like, when is it okay to just take care of yourself and push this back versus when do I need to push through whatever this is right now, right? And I would say that that's just a genuine, like, everyday question for even myself, you know? I'm like, I've worked my ass off, right, like recently, you know?

I just did the Modern Hairstylist Tour in Philly, and that was, like, basically four days total for me as far as, like, setup, breakdown, all the things, right? Um, and then... and that included dinner, so basically it was going nonstop for four days. And then literally the next day after that, started the, uh, my, my mastermind retreat, and that was back-to-back, nine-to-nine, for, like, four extra days.

I had my employee in town. It was a lot, right? And then my plan was to just go dive deep into these big projects right after. And it's difficult for me to decide, like, it sh- a- a- am I okay to take one day off because I've already put in so much work, or am I gonna regret that later, and do I need to decide to push through today?

And it's definitely a daily question that I ask myself, and I don't think that there's necessarily a right or wrong answer, but for me, the answer has been push through. The answer has been do what I need to do to be able to push through and set up systems in place that will allow me to, uh, to... that'll make it easy for me to push through, right? Because there's a lot of things that we could do, that are easy to do, that will actually set us up for more failure in the future, and there's things that are, are, are hard to do that will set us up for more success in the future, I feel like.

And that's also something that I feel like I'm learning through this journey myself. Yes. Um, so I don't know. Where d- where do you think we should start, Jodi?

Oh, man. I just... I'm so resonating with everything you're saying, 'cause there's things that, like, feel good to do in the moment, and then there's things that feel good to have done. Yes.

Which, like, always a difference. Um, so I guess the first question then is, 'cause you have had a lot on the go, how do you decide what to prioritize and what to kind of let fall to the wayside a little bit? Yeah. I think, um, you know, it's always gonna be what's gonna move the needle forward the most.

Like... And I think that you figure that out by being diligent and consistent in, like, planning your year ahead, and then planning your quarters ahead, and then planning your months ahead, right? And I find that even in my students' businesses, like especially my mastermind, because we... I work so closely with these people and we, we...

the whole... u- a big part of what we do in the mastermind is we, we make a year, a year plan, we set goals, we set up the key initiatives and projects we're gonna put into place, and then we date them all and we put them into quarters and then months, and then I hold them accountable to it, and they get those fricking things done, right? And it's great because we have, like, this dashboard that we set up for them in which they can, if they're ever feeling overwhelmed and maybe they don't know what to work on, or there's so many things that they could be working on, they don't know where to start, which is definitely what I'm experiencing right now, they can always go back to the dashboard, and all of those things are, like, laid out and prioritized and dated, and there's a main focus, right, for that specific time period.And I've had to do the- the same thing for myself, you know?

My entire year is planned out. I am very d- I ha- I've had to be very diligent about, you know, okay, these, this is my time where I'm gonna work on this specific thing, this is the main priority, and these other things, they feel like a priority, but maybe they're not as much of a priority in the grand scheme of things, right? 'Cause you could feel like something's urgent, but is it important, right? Like, is it really important for the long-term growth of w- what your business needs and what it is right now, right?

And so, uh, that brings us to, you know, sacrifice, too, right? Um, which I know was probably gonna be your next question. But it's sacrifice, right? Like, like, sometimes maybe you know this other thing could really be awesome for you or could get done, or maybe there's new opportunities that pop up for you, right?

And I've had to put a lot of things on the back burner and say no to a lot because I am staying so focused on this- on these important things that I know are the main priorities. I am sticking to the plan. And I think that there's value in having flexibility built into your plan. I think that there's, uh, uh, value in making it so when you plan out your time that there is space for newer things.

And so, um, that's all good and dandy, but right now, there are just so many big projects that I just need to stay headstrong on those things and say no to a lot. And that also includes not just no in my business but also in my personal life, too. Like, I have to be super protective of my time, you know? Like, I have, like, certain days off, certain time that I could spend on my personal life or I could spend on my business, and, uh, some of the things that I could be, you know, sa- I could be sacrificing business hours for personal hours, I've just had to be disciplined and say no to, and I know that that's gonna set me up for so much more success later, right?

I've had to really diligently think about Hunter later. And I know- Yeah. that's really hard, but I haven't regretted it yet , and I know that I won't regret it later, right? And so I've had to stay disciplined, stay focused.

I've had to talk myself through it a lot of the time and be like, "I'm a badass. I will be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor later, and this sacrifice is not for nothing." Yes. Oh my goodness, that's so good.

So, I'm just curious, like, what do you do when you are... 'Cause I think there's a lot of conversation always when y- we're working towards big goals about, like, how to get motivated. Like, how do we get motivated, do you know what I mean, and spend that time? What's your answer to that question?

Do you feel like that's an important piece, or do you feel like we overly rely on the feeling of motivation? Like, I'm curious as to how that plays out for you. So, I don't wanna anybody to get anything twisted, because everybody here who's listening to this knows that I'm so grateful and I'm so privileged for every single thing that I get to do every single day. Like, I absolutely love what I get to do for work.

Like, I literally talk about it all the time to all my friends and family. They fucking hate me. They're like, "Okay, we get it, uh, you have your dream job and life and, and we don't." So, trust, believe, like, I absolutely am grateful for what I do.

Do I wake up motivated to do it every single day? Absolutely the fuck not. Especially when it's like, there's parts of my job that are much harder than the other things, right? And in order for me to get to do the things in my job that I love, I have to do the shit that I hate, right?

So, for example, for a hairstylist perspective, right, if you wanna do more services that light you up, you have to do the marketing and the research and the education that you're gonna hate to get the thing that you love, right? Mm-hmm. And nobody who has done anything that is... Nobody who has done something great or amazing or has achieved the things t- that they love or that they wanted hasn't had to do something really hard to get there, right?

And of course, there is privilege, and we can talk about that, absolutely, and we should take that into consideration, but just from a broad philosophical perspective, right? I know that it's going to take me doing the shit that I'm not motivated for to get the thing that I want and I need, right? And if this is something that I absolutely love, then I need to be visceral in protecting that and doing the things and showing up for the thing, showing up for the things that I need to do to make those things continuous and a steady constant in my life. So, I don't wake up fucking motivated to do the shit every day, you know?

I will be straight up with y'all, like, I despise having to record course material, okay? Like, talking to a screen and looking at myself and hearing my own voice for hours and s- talking for hours and o- and, and, and being self, super hypercritical about what I'm saying and if it's going to deliver well and if it's, if it's the best way to educate about something, it is painful. But it's worth it, and I know it's what is going to help make the impact. And it goes back to the why, too, you know?

It's not just about what's gonna be positive for me out of this. It goes back to how th- this hard work, me taking my time to do this, even though I may not feel motivated to do it, there's a strong why behind it, and it's making an impact on other people's lives, right? And I think remembering your why is really important when you're not feeling motivated as well, too. So, the tea is, is that we're all fucking just human beings.

We all have primal, uh, cave person brains, and we're not just, we're not always gonna feel fucking motivated, and it's just the unfortunate truth. And sometimes you, I've said it before and I'll say it again and it's been a big lesson I've learned over the past two years, you have the choice to do something whether you feel like doing it or not. That was impressive. You have the choice of, of doing something whether you feel like doing it or not.

And, we talked about th- I talked about this earlier in the episode, right? What I am doing is I am taking care of myself so that when I have to show up when I'm unmotivated, that it's easy for me to do so, right? Right. So, I'm not smoking weed.

I'm not smoking weed before I go to bed, as I maybe once would, because I know that it's gonna make me f- sl- feel sluggish in the morning, right? Yeah.... I'm figuring, I'm, like, doing melatonin instead to be able to sleep. I am not...

I'm not, you know, saying yes to every single friend opportunity to go out to dinner with somebody or something like that. I am making sure that, like, I'm waking up earlier in the morning to be able to have more time in my day to do things. I am working out, I'm eating healthy. And that is all stuff I'm not motivated to do either , right?

It's all shit that is hard for me to say yes to. Mm-hmm. But it'll just put me deeper into the cycle of, like you said, it's like a vicious cycle of just, like, being overwhelmed and not feeling like doing this shit, right? And so I'm in a time of discipline.

I'm in a time of saying yes to the things that are hard, saying no to the things that would be easy and would feel good in the moment that I know would not set me up for success in the future. And I just honestly, like sometimes, it comes down to looking myself in the mirror and being like, "Hunter, you're a fucking badass who's willing to do hard things and do the things even though you don't fucking feel like it to get to where you wanna go." Like, I need to remind myself that I'm the person who is willing to do things that other people aren't willing to do to get what I want and to make the impact that I believe in. And that brings me so much joy and brings so many other people joy.

And y'all have to fucking do the same thing to yourself. It's true. Like y'all need to get real with yourself and give yourself a big kick in the ass and be like, "Uh, it is possible for me to show up. I believe in myself that I can show up.

And I do have the choice to show up no matter how I feel right now. So I'm gonna fucking choose to do the right thing that I know is gonna be beneficial for me and everybody else around me in the future." I love that. You and I have talked about this so many times before, about how, you know, it's that discipline to, like, create those habits in your personal life that allows you to show up for your big goals.

And I love that you, that you reiterated that. So how do you stay accountable? Like how... You know, when you would just, like, rather...

Yeah. stay in bed, and you would rather, you know, maybe do something else. You've got course material to record but your friend calls you to go to your favorite restaurant or whatever- Ugh. a Taylor Swift concert.

Like how do you- . How do you stay accountable to your goals, like, in real time? Well, I think that, like, it's a good question because I think accountability is so important to getting something done, right? So, like, we need to be purposeful about building accountabili- a- accountability into our plan.

And I know for my students, like, we're the accountability, right? Like when you have a community of peers who all are relating to the fact that we are doing hard shit and we have to sacrifice some time to do it, it's great, because we feel each other, we understand each other, and we can ask each other to hold s- us accountable. Yeah. But it has to be somebody that you respect, right?

So it has to be somebody who you don't wanna let down, it has to be somebody who you respect their opinion about what's going on with your business or your life. And that could even look like your client. If I had, like, something exciting or new, a lot of the time I would announce it before I actually had it together. Mm-hmm.

And I knew damn well that I'd fucking get it done, because now I have a whole crowd of people who I've announced something to that are now expecting it from me, right? And so sometimes it's announcing it before you actually create it, and it's just... Even before that, it's just even just setting a date. It's like if you don't have a date by when you wanna get this done, right, then there's, then it's just up in the air and you can do it whenever you want, so then it's very easy to just be like, "Nah, I'm gonna do this other thing instead.

I'll get this done eventually." Mm-hmm. Then it never gets done. As we all know, you get distracted, something else comes up, and then you're never where you want to be or you're not going to where you wanna go, right?

But having a date is so massively important. And then how do we back it up with accountability? And I think that looks different for everybody. Some people may respect their partner's opinion or may respect their partner holding them accountable.

Maybe you won't. Maybe they'll be like, "Bitch, what are you, what are you telling me?" I don't know. I, I know with my ex I'd be like, "Girl, shut the fuck up."

Like , "You don't know anything about-" Which ones would not be by accountability? No. Um, but maybe it's a business mentor. I mean, I have...

I, I know, like, if I do, like, one-on-ones with people or even group coaching calls, I'll be like, "Okay, I wanna see you post this in our Facebook group community, that you actually did the price increase or that you wrote these three emails, and I want you to put it in the Facebook group, and all of us are going to wait for you to do that," right? And it, it, it... And it gets people to get shit done, you know? So think about how, who can hold you accountable, how can you set a date, and how can you get somebody to make it so there is pressure, there is urgency, there is some sort of follow-through from somebody that you respect that will make it so you actually got it done.

I love that. Creatives need deadlines. Yes. All who are creatives are all creatives.

We do need deadlines. And you know what? Even if it, if that means that, you know, it's, like, an hour before the deadline and that's when you start working on it and you... As long as you get it done, right?

Yeah. As long as you get it done. And if that's what's going to help you get it done, then great, right? I know that we've all been there where it's like you do your best work at, when it's due an hour before the deadline, right?

Um, so if that's what's gonna work for you, and especially my neurodivergent people out there, 'cause I feel you, then freaking have the date and the accountability in place. I love that. I think this has been such a, an inspiring episode that, like, truly you have the power. You get to decide.

You get to choose, even when you're not motivated or you don't feel like it, to make the choice to do the things that are gonna get you to where you wanna be. 100%. And I think, uh, just another thing before we sign off on here. I think it's really important to be realistic with yourself simultaneously.

I'm definitely being realistic with myself. Yeah. And, like, for example, like, I was just talking to my team, like, recently, this week, and I was, like, looking at all the things that we have to do, and I was like, "I..." genuinely, no matter how much I sacrifice, I don't think I'm gonna be able to get some of this stuff done.

So we're delegating, or we're asking for help, or we're reprioritizing, right? And that's where, like, we build flexibility into the plan. But it's a hard choice. Like, it's not like it's something where it's like, "Oh, I could just easily just, like, just throw this thing away."

It's like, "No, this was a part of the plan. This is what we committed to, so we're gonna follow through on it, but we're gonna do it in a different way now," right? So we're going on Fiverr and we're hiring somebody to do part of it for us. And that's something that you guys could absolutely do.

But we're also leaning into the tools that we already have available to us, right? So I have a community of peers that I network with, and I'm asking them for helpful resources or tips and advice to get through the thing as efficiently as possible. Use your fucking resources, and then also, don't be afraid to delegate to whatever that looks like for you. You know, again, Fiverr's a great resource for anybody listening to this, no matter what kind of business you have.

Uh, we hire, like, little projects off of Fiverr all the time. Uh, delegation and being, being realistic with ourselves has been important. Like, I've had to be like, "No, Hunter, you're not superhuman. Yes, you are a badass, and yes, you will get up and sacrifice and do the damn thing.

But no matter how much time you have, you won't be able to get this thing done." Right? Yep. And then on top of that, right, I still am protective over the time that I need to be able to take care of myself to show up to these things too.

And so, I am still taking care of myself, but it's not necessarily in the binge Netflix and relax way. It's in the discipline of doing the things that I know are gonna actually make me feel good at the end of the day, you know? Exactly. And so my last question, Hunter.

How do you decide when you are in the midst of a lot of really big projects and a lot of really big stuff going on, and I know that you are someone who cares so deeply about your business like all of your listeners, how do you decide what to delegate and what you need to do yourself and what you need to protect? Uh, you know, this is a really good question, and I think that I, I've been saying for a long time, I've been saying, and I think that the general theory, in a perfect world, it's an accurate theory, right, which is, you want to be involved in the things that you are best at, right? Nobody may be able to interact with your customers the way that you can. Or nobody will able, be able to market the, the business that you have the way that you can, or write the way that you can, or whatever it may be, right?

Or do the tech setup the way that you can, right? Uh, but maybe you have a weakness in this other place, or you have things that you're good at, but are taking up a lot of your time. Exactly. And maybe those things aren't moving the needle or growing the business as much as it could if you have time to do the things that grow the business.

So, maybe your client communication is something that takes up a lot of your time. How do we freaking delegate this to a system or a person, so that way we have more time to do the things that actually grow the business? So, that's like one of the theories. And, but then I was talking to, um, a duo of mine who I work with intimately, and, uh, they're hiring their first virtual assistant.

And I was asking them, I was like, "It seems like you guys are really inconsistent with social media." And I know that, like, at least one of them is, like, pretty damn good at marketing. Like, they're pretty good at, like, copyrighting and stuff like that. And I was like, "And it seems like it, this consistency with this is really hard for you guys."

And so, is, is this something, although maybe you are, you would be able to do it better, is this something where you would rather deal with all the administrative ta- ass- administrative tasks, but then have somebody at least be consistent in this place? But make sure that you've trained this person to actually do it well, right? Because that's one thing. It's like, okay, you may hate this thing, but we can't just let it get done half-ass, right?

There's a difference between delegating to get something done just so it's done, but it has to be done well, right? For sure. So, um, so I don't think there's a right or wrong. I think it's depen- it, it does- it's depending on what you still believe is valuable in being in control of, and, like, weighing out the pros and cons of each of them, I guess.

I love that. I love that. Is there anything else that you wanna add in terms of getting things done when you are feeling unmotivated or when you're feeling overwhelmed that you want your listeners to take away from this conversation? Uh, I do believe you should be kind to yourself.

I do believe, like I said, you need to be realistic as well. But I think there's a lot of power in fucking challenging yourself. And how damn good it feels when you show up and do the damn thing, even when you didn't feel like it, and when it's over, and you're like, "I'm so fucking glad I pushed through." Mm-hmm.

Like, give yourself the opportunity to feel that, at least once, because if you're unmotivated, if you're not feeling great right now, a lot of that could have to do with the fact that you're not doing something in the first place. Right. Right? So, do it even if you don't feel like it, and every single time you do that, particularly within one project, it's gonna be easier and easier and easier, in theory, for you to show up and do it later, right?

But you need some sort of momentum. I had a student, uh, who has been working with- through PvP, and she's definitely somebody who does not fuck with tech, okay? Like, she is- ... really challenging herself, and I'm super proud of her.

Um, but she's been trying to, like, put everything out with all the systems and pieces together, as I recommend, right? But she got on a call with me, and, and I was like, "You know what, friend? Let's just fucking get this one thing out there." Okay.

"Let's just screw all the extra stuff. Let's just throw this one thing out there, so that way you feel momentum. So that way you feel like all this hard work and the dedication and sacrifice is worth it. So that way you're more willing to do the other things."

Mm-hmm. Because if you are just stuck in inaction, or slow action because it's such a large project and you're not actually seeing any results, then of course you're not gonna feel motivated to do more, right? But we need to see some sort of momentum sometimes to feel motivated moving forward. Now, that's not to say sometimes you have to have delayed gratification, right?

But maybe, maybe we can reprioritize or maybe we can do something in the meantime that can get us a little bit of it to give us a little bit of that hit, so that way we wanna continuously move forward, right? So, I don't know where I was going with that, but hopefully that's helpful. Yeah. No, that's so good.

I think it's so true. It's like, I think accomplishing those things, it's why we love, like, checklists and being able to check things off tasks, right? Like, it's gonna build that self-esteem and show you that you can do the hard things. I think that's a really important lesson.

Totally. You can do fucking hard things, my friend. Fucking believe in that, dude. Even if you don't fucking believe it, pretend you believe it, and then you'll start believing it, and then you'll start showing up as that person.

Like, come on. Like, please. I beg. I beg.

Okay. Thank you so much for tuning in to Modern Hairstyles Podcast. Jodi, thank you so much for your help with us, uh, on the Modern Hairstyles Podcast. We appreciate you so much.

I hope that t- today's episode was good for you, my friend. Here's my accountability for you. I want you to DM me on Instagram @hairbyhunty, and I want you to tell me, what's one project that you're gonna work on that you've been avoiding or that you've been slow within that you're gonna push through and you're gonna fucking get done whether you feel like it or not? DM me that and tell me the date that you're gonna get it done by, right now.

Don't play with me, unless you're driving. But after you get to where your destination is, fucking DM me, all right? Thanks for tuning in to Modern Hairstyles Podcast. Peace out, girl scout.

Bye-bye.

End of transcript. © 2025 Hunter Donia LLC.