A Simple Approach to Overcome Overwhelm

In 2021 James Lawrence, aka the Iron Cowboy, had a seemingly impossible goal: to complete 100 full Ironman triathlons consecutively over 100 days. That’s a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run. Every. Single. Day. By his own admission, it was overwhelming: “If I look at [a goal] in its entirety, I’m overwhelmed. I’m riddled with anxiety. I can’t do it.”

But he did do it. In fact, he successfully completed 101 full irons.

On the way he had to deal with icy roads and freezing rain which transitioned into 30C-plus days as he moved through the seasons. Early on he developed massive shin problems that lead to hip problems. “Some days, I would physically blackout on the run from the pain. Then I would regain consciousness and my crew and I would continue running.”

How do you keep going when things are so overwhelming and the problems you’re dealing with seem insurmountable?

Have a plan and a process

Your goal is your destination.

Your plan what you need to do to get there.

Your process is how you do it, particularly when you have repetitive tasks.

For James the plan was what needed to be done to get him to the start line, then through the event, the completion of the swim, cycle and run each day.

There was then a process for how these were completed over the 100 days. The time he would start, how he would get to the pool, who would take him there, the clothes and equipment for each leg and who would get them ready. Then the food he would eat, when he’d eat, who would prepare it. The routes for the cycle and run, who’d be with him. When he’d get a massage.

Building the process is likely something that is built and adjusted.

If you are undertaking something that seems overwhelming, create a plan, break it down into tasks and create the process and habits.

If you were writing a book, for example, you will have a:

PLAN: this breaks down the tasks and when they’ll be done. So you might have the writing of the first draft, possibly by chapter and when it will be done. Then you’ll have all the edits and proofreads, the typesetting, and the cover design.
PROCESS: that’s going to be your process to do the work and the habits you create. When you write, how long you write for at a time, the environment you have to write. Do you sit or stand? Do you go to the same place each day or need variety? When you eat, even what you eat. You might find some foods that make you feel groggy.

I’m training for Coolangatta Gold. A surf lifesaving ironperson event: 23km ski, 1km run, 3.5km ocean swim, 6.1km board paddle and 8.2km run. I did it in 2014 and swore never again (it was over 7-hours in the hurt locker). But an invisible force has found me drawn to it again, like a moth to the flame.

I’ve set up my plan – my training program with key milestones, building up the distance through to 85% of the race distance. Plus I have my recovery weeks.

My process includes when I go to sleep, and how much sleep I have. It’s my nutrition, taking my supplements each day, making sure I keep my hydration up and having massages and saunas.

“The true secret to success is doing lots of little things consistently over a long time.” James Lawrence

Plans and processes get tweaked with experience and practice. When you have a plan and process you are confident in, everything else takes care of itself. Show up. Be consistent.

Shift your focus

When you’re working toward big goals, there are bound to be days when it feels overwhelming.

The other weekend to see where my body was at I did an initial block session – ski, swim, board and run with a goal of doing 40% of race day distances. I did better than expected with each leg being over 50-60% of what I’ll need to do on the day.

I felt great and was stoked with how it went, and then the voice of self-doubt piped up and pointed out: “I’ve got to do double that come race day.”

Internally I groaned. How the hell can I do double that?

I reminded myself I have a plan. I have a process. I trust it. So just focus on the next training block. And if that feels too much, the next week, or simply the next session.

If you’re writing a book and think about the fact that you have 80,000 words to write, you’ll be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed. Build your process and focus on the next step. The chapter, or one paragraph, or simply one sentence.

One More Step

The Iron Cowboy’s first big Ironman challenge was 30 Ironman races in 11 countries in one year.

During the run of the sixth event, intense cramps that had started in his quad during the bike, spread through his body during the run and he collapsed. Medics came to help him and a friend got James’ wife on the phone. He handed the phone to James. “No thank you,” James said, knowing his wife was going to tell him to keep going. A few minutes later his friend returned and handed the phone to James again saying, “It’s your daughter, Lucy.”

James couldn’t say no to his 9-year-old daughter. “Dad, is there any way you can get up? Can you walk?” “No,” James replied. “Dad, can you crawl? Can you crawl and finish?” Again, James replied, “No.” Finally, Lucy asked, “Dad, can you do a cartwheel?” It brought home her belief and conviction in him, that he absolutely could do it. It was enough. He pulled the IV out, got up and began to walk. He reached the finish line and cartwheeled across it.

“There will be times in life when you think you can’t go further, but you always can.” James Lawrence.

When you reach that point, when it feels too overwhelming, that you can’t go on, shift your focus to what you can do. Take one more step. Write one more sentence. Do one more session.

In the UK Special Forces, they have the 1-meter square rule, when chaos is raining or things are overwhelming. You bring your focus to your immediate environment, that 1-metre square you are in. Where are you, what next step can you take?

Summary

Don’t let the enormity of a goal put you off. As James says, “I can’t help but think that the hardest thing to do on any journey is to take the first step.”

That first step is to build the plan, and then create the processes and develop the habits to get you there. And when it gets too much, bring your focus in.

Don’t look to the top of the mountain you’re aiming for. Just focus on taking one more step.

Dream, believe, succeed. One step at a time.

Sarah x