If you're already overwhelmed but have a goal to complete, do this:

There’s absolutely no way I can do this - it’s ridiculous!

The feeling of impending doom grew through 2024, when I came to realise there was no way out.

I’m a professional speaker and I love what I do, but in 2024, I came to terms with a difficult speaking truth, that in order to do this until I retire in 15/20 years’ time (I’m 52), I need to write a really good book. In my world, the decent book is a ‘must-have’ NOT a ‘nice-to-have’. As a speaker, you can get by without a TED/TEDx talk under your belt: that’s entirely optional. But just as most plumbers who’ve been in the trade for a while have a van - seasoned speakers have a book … and a good one at that!

But how to write a book, when I’m maxed out, my business is all consuming, my 3 boys aged 7, 10 and 12, run me ragged, my wife works in a demanding NHS role, and I’ve no time at all?

The very thought of attempting it made me shudder. I fully understood the need but the writing of it would require a level of commitment, time and energy I didn’t have.

I had 3 options:

Option A) Put it off, but I’ll aways feel too busy, and the longer I put it off, the more my business will suffer as a result - not an immediate crash of course - but more of a slow puncture.

Option B) Leap into the writing all guns blazing (but with some serious collateral damage)

Option C) Focus on marginal gains and do it step-by-step.

The only sensible option was ‘C’ so I made a commitment.

Starting on January 1st 2025 and until December 31st 2025, I committed to spend a minimum of 30 minutes each day progressing the project. Some days I might do more, but 30 minutes would be the minimum, every day without fail for one year (other than my two week summer holiday abroad and Christmas day)

I reasoned that I could doom scroll less and claw back 30 minutes each day from poor technology-based habits (most people can).

Slowly but surely, the book got written through 2025. Some days felt hopeless but I never wavered from that single commitment. The bad days still got the minimum investment of 30 minutes. Other days were better and got far more than 30 minutes.

The book is being printed at the moment. You’ve probably seen me mentioning it over the last month. ‘Honestly, Man’ is being released on August 6th, with all profits raised being invested in charities supporting men and boys. It’s already available for pre-order.(https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=honestly+man+andrew+pain&crid=PCZVR9YX83TD&sprefix=andrew+pain+honestly)

Link to pre-order: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=honestly+man+andrew+pain&crid=PCZVR9YX83TD&sprefix=andrew+pain+honestly

These are my top 3 tips if you feel overwhelmed, but have a precious goal you want to complete.

1) We can achieve extraordinary things through small, daily inputs, delivered consistently and over the long term.

Whether it’s lose weight, learn Spanish, improve our football skills for the work 6-a-side team, get that extra qualification to help you change job roles, or write a book. Focus on small daily inputs.

2) Make peace with slow progress.

We’re naturally impatient in 2026 because we have everything at our finger tips, so we’re less used to waiting for stuff than we once were. But when we make peace with slow progress, then we can commit to consistent progress, which takes the pressure off delivering immediate results, the kind of pressure which turns ‘all or nothing’, into ‘all then nothing’. When we can accept slow progress, we allow ourselves to settle in for the journey and find our way with the goal over time.

3) Be clear on your ‘why?’ Don’t beat yourself up with it, but use it as a steady reminder on your bad days.

I’m a firm believer that our big goals should be EXCITING and/or ESSENTIAL if we stand any hope of completing them. We will inevitably pursue goals in our lives, where the action steps feel difficult, boring and like too much effort, or where the goal does not ‘excite’ us but its completion will lead to greater things, but if the goal is ‘essential’, then the recognition of it being essential will need to motivate us on our lower days - it may be the only thing that does!

I never lost sight of the fact in 2025 that this book was ‘essential’ for my speaking business long term.

If you want to bring the topic of burnout to life, either as a keynote talk, or as part of an away day, or wellbeing week initiative, or even as a collaborative, mini-podcast series for your organisation, then get in touch and let’s talk.

I’m a CPD accredited and TEDx speaker, podcaster and author, delivering entertaining, inspirational and relatable keynote talks, grounded in lived experience and global research.

Connect with me at: https://www.andrewpain.co.uk/

And/ Or let’s connect on Linkedin and DM me to book an exploratory conversation