Read this when your to-do list feels so heavy you keep avoiding it, then you spend the day “catching up” without actually finishing anything. You don’t need more tasks or more pressure—you need a smaller target you can hit today. Cut your list to one move, shrink it to ten minutes, start for two minutes, then ship one usable output.
By Wednesday, the week feels crowded.
The inbox is loud. The chat keeps moving. The deck is due. Someone wants numbers. Someone wants an update. Then a new “urgent” request lands on top of everything.
You can see the work. You want to do the work. But you can’t choose where to begin.
That’s when overwhelm quietly turns into delay. Not because people are lazy, but because the mind can’t hold too many open loops at once. “Mamaya na” becomes a form of relief.
This article is for two kinds of readers. The person who feels buried and wants a clean way to start. And the person who coaches others—leaders, managers, teammates—who need a method that helps someone move without shaming them.
Cut to one move
If overwhelm is making you delay, do this.
Cut your list to one move, shrink it to ten minutes, then start for two minutes.
That’s the method. Everything else below is simply how to make it easier to use—and easier to teach.
Why overwhelm turns into the Mañana Habit
Overwhelm isn’t just “a lot of work.”
It’s Open Loops Load—too many unfinished things sitting in your mind at the same time. When your head is carrying everything, your brain struggles to choose. When it can’t choose, it avoids.
This is why some days you can do a lot and still feel stuck. You were busy, but you didn’t reduce the load.
And when the load stays high for long enough, delay starts sounding reasonable. “Later” becomes the default response to anything that requires thinking.
Relief Work vs Progress Work
Here’s the trap most professionals fall into.
When people feel overwhelmed, they don’t choose the most important task. They choose the task that gives the fastest relief. They reply to messages. They clean their inbox. They fix small errors. They do minor admin. They handle quick requests.
That’s Relief Work. It calms the brain, but it rarely moves the week.
Progress Work is the opposite. It unlocks decisions, unblocks people, and creates outcomes others can use. Overwhelm keeps people stuck because Relief Work is always available, while Progress Work requires a choice.
A micro-story from a real workday
A staff member starts the day with good intention. They’re supposed to finalize a one-page brief for a meeting.
But before they can begin, three messages arrive. A teammate needs a quick slide. A supervisor asks for an update. A client wants a reply. So they respond—because they’re responsible and they don’t want to be the bottleneck.
By lunch, they’ve been helpful all morning. Their inbox is calmer. Their chat is lighter. They even fixed a few small things that were bothering them.
But the brief is untouched.
Now the brief feels heavier. The stress rises. The mind starts saying, “I’ll do it later when it’s quieter.”
It doesn’t get quieter.
By end of day, the person feels tired and guilty—not because they didn’t work, but because the work that mattered didn’t move.
That’s how overwhelm trains the Mañana Habit.
The One Move Rule
The cure is simpler than most people expect.
Ask this question: What is one move that makes everything else easier?
Not ten moves. Not the full plan. One move.
The One Move is usually something that unlocks other work: a message that unblocks a decision, a draft that gives people something to react to, a question that clears confusion, a recommendation that lets someone decide.
When you choose the One Move, you stop negotiating with your to-do list. You start moving the week.
The Leverage Test
Some people cut the list by choosing the easiest task. That reduces guilt, but it doesn’t reduce the real problem.
So use a tighter test.
The Leverage Test: If this is done, does someone else get unstuck?
If yes, that’s progress work. If not, it may still be useful—but it’s not the move that breaks overwhelm.
The two-line email that unlocks everything
A project is stuck because a stakeholder hasn’t responded. The overwhelmed person says, “I can’t move until they reply.”
That might be true. But the One Move is still available.
They send a two-line message:
“Hi ____. We need your decision on A vs B. If we don’t hear by 3 PM, we’ll proceed with A.”
It takes minutes, but it changes the project. It makes the next step real. It reduces drift. It replaces waiting with movement.
That’s what One Move looks like. It doesn’t make you busier. It makes the work move.
Cut the list until the task fits ten minutes
Overwhelm gets worse when tasks are too big to enter.
So once you choose the One Move, shrink it.
Ask: What is the ten-minute version of this?
Not the best version. The runnable version.
If the One Move is “work on the report,” the ten-minute version is “write the three headings and drop rough bullets.” If the One Move is “prepare the deck,” the ten-minute version is “write the one key message and the first three slides.” If the One Move is “fix the issue,” the ten-minute version is “identify cause, owner, next action.”
When the task fits ten minutes, the mind stops panicking. Starting becomes possible.
Tool: The Cut-the-List Card
Do this before you touch your inbox. Screenshot it. Share it with someone who needs it.
Write fast. Don’t overthink.
Everything on my mind (30 seconds):
My One Move (the lever):
The ten-minute version:
My two-minute start:
What I will deliver today (usable output):
If it helps, here are example fills.
One Move: send the client update. Ten-minute version: 3 bullets + next step + deadline. Two-minute start: write the first bullet. Deliverable: message sent.
One Move: unblock approval. Ten-minute version: write options + recommendation. Two-minute start: list A vs B. Deliverable: request for decision sent.
One Move: start the brief. Ten-minute version: outline headings + first bullets. Two-minute start: write the title and three headings. Deliverable: Version 1 draft saved.
The Not Today List
Overwhelm gets worse when everything stays “open.”
So here’s a leadership move that feels almost too simple: make a Not Today List.
Not because those tasks don’t matter, but because the mind needs permission to focus. It sounds like this: “Today, we will not touch these three things. We will touch this one thing.”
This reduces guilt. It increases execution. It gives the team a shared target.
How to help someone move without shaming them
If you’re coaching a teammate who’s overwhelmed, avoid the usual advice: “Manage your time.”
Instead, guide their thinking.
Ask: “What’s on your mind right now? Give me three items.” Then ask: “Which one move makes the rest easier?” Follow with: “Does that move unblock someone else?” Then: “What’s the ten-minute version?” Then: “What can you do in the next two minutes?”
End with one line that changes everything: “Send me what you delivered today.”
That final line shifts the conversation from effort to output. It builds a finisher culture without micromanaging.
Questions people actually ask when they’re overwhelmed
Why do I avoid work when I’m overwhelmed? Because your brain can’t choose under Open Loops Load. Avoidance becomes relief.
What’s the fastest way to reduce overwhelm? Cut the list to one move, shrink it to ten minutes, start for two minutes, then deliver something usable.
How do I choose the one move? Use the Leverage Test: if this is done, does someone else get unstuck?
The 24-hour challenge (share-ready)
Try this today, just once.
List everything (30 seconds). Choose One Move. Shrink it to ten minutes. Start for two minutes. Deliver one usable output.
If you want to share it with someone, send them this message:
“Overwhelmed? List 3 items, choose One Move, shrink to 10 minutes, start for 2 minutes, ship one usable output. Tell me what you shipped.”
That’s how overwhelm stops turning into the Mañana Habit.
Not through more effort.
Through one clearer move.
If your team is stuck in meetings, misalignment, or slow decisions…
Let’s design one shift they can use immediately.
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