Stop feeling overwhelmed

I’m usually weeks ahead of schedule for writing everything I publish. Content creation is a top priority for me, and I genuinely enjoy the process of writing to you.

But last week, for the first time in ages, I found myself falling behind. I’ve been traveling a lot, and several projects have demanded my attention. So, on Monday morning, I looked up and realized I had too many tasks on my plate. I needed to clear some space for thinking and writing.

This kind of thing usually gives me a good dose of anxiety, and of course that makes everything worse. But this time around, I recalled one of my old, favorite frameworks for attacking this problem. It sorts me out every time, and it can probably help you, too.

So today I want to show you a simple approach that helps me determine how to focus my time, especially when I’m in a crunch. No complex productivity apps required.

The Classic Time Management Mistake

When I assess how most solopreneurs manage their time, I see the same mistake on repeat. They treat every task as equally important and/or equally urgent. So they get bogged down with massive to-do lists, where responding to administrative emails assumes the same importance as servicing top clients.

But of course, your tasks shouldn’t all carry equal weight. And some of the tasks on your list may not deserve any of your time at all.

This is where the 2x2 Decision Framework for Solopreneurs comes into play. It’s a practical way to keep your sanity intact so you can focus on your most important work.

Let's dive in.

The 2x2 Decision Framework

This framework forces every task on your list into one of four categories:

• Do Now: High urgency, high importance
  • Example: A broken checkout page or sending your weekly newsletter on time.
• Schedule: Low urgency, high importance
  • Example: Creating next week's content or building your new course.
• Delegate: High urgency, low importance
  • Example: Administrative emails or scheduling calls with prospects.
• Delete: Low urgency, low importance
  • Example: Tweaking your website colors or responding to cold emails.

What I like about this framework is that it clears away non-critical busy work and makes room for things that really matter.  So when you feel your world caving in, it’s time to categorize every task that comes your way. And I want you to be ruthless about it.

Real-World Application

So now let’s see how this idea works in practice.

Here are some actual decisions I made this week using this framework:

Task: A potential client wanted to talk about closing a partner deal.
My decision — Do Now: High-ticket opportunities rarely stay warm for long.

Task: My email welcome sequence needs updating.
My decision — Schedule: Important, but won't have an impact if done next week.

Task: Need to reserve a private space for an entrepreneur’s dinner party I’m hosting.
My decision — Delegate: defined budget and requirements, delegated to my VA.

Task: Three cold requests came in to "pick my brain" over coffee.
My decision — Delete: Now is not the time given my workload. Ignore.

Pushing my tasks through the 2x2 Decision Framework practically made the decisions for me. And instead of dealing with each task (while others pile up), I could easily see my priorities and determine where it makes sense to focus my time and energy.

This is so important as a solopreneur, because when everything is a priority, that means nothing is really a priority.

So I want you to remember to be ruthless about how you label your tasks. Because if you put everything in the "Do Now" category, you’ll feel overwhelmed. And you won’t actually make room for the important things that will actually move your needle.

And lastly, this framework doesn’t just organize your tasks. It gives you permission to say no and/or ignore things that don't deserve your time and energy (at least right now).

The Bottom Line

This framework isn't about doing more. It's about doing fewer things better, and with more focus and intention.

So every time you're faced with a new task, run it through these four filters:

• If it's urgent and important, do it now.
• If it's important but not urgent, schedule it.
• If it's urgent but not important, delegate it.
• If it's not urgent nor important, delete it.

The hardest part of this will probably be sticking to your decisions.

So when you mark something as "Delete," then you’ve gotta actually delete it. And when you decide to delegate a task, don’t sneak back in and do it yourself.

You have to trust the framework. Because it works if you let it.

And that's all for today.

Now it’s time for you to take a look at your task list and start running it through your four filters.

P.S. Want to dive deeper into systems like this one? Check out my Creator MBA course. It's jam-packed with frameworks like this to help you work smarter, not harder.