This is not a set up! Do you know someone who has it all together and doesn’t stress out about all the details. I know lots of people like that and to be honest, they used to make me jealous. However, that is changing thanks to what I’m learning. No, I still don’t have it altogether. However, it’s getting there and here is how you can start getting it all together and stop stressing.

You need a dashboard. You know, like the one in your car or in your boat. Dashboards perform a number of tasks, but one of the most important features is they alleviate stress when they are working properly. Until we ignore them.

Dashboards also monitor a number of things…electrical power, speed, oil-pressure, Temperature, etc. Because of our dashboards, we are able to travel without stressing out every five minutes. If we feel anxious about the performance of our vehicle, one glance at the dashboard calms our fear. Why? Because engineers are pretty smart people.

We’re not always so smart. As complex as a dashboard may seem, it’s a relatively simple tool. So why not create a personal dashboard so that you can glance at it when you feel anxious and be reminded that things are as they should be?

Here is a quick glance at the dashboard I’ve created for myself to make sure to alleviate stress and provide peace, presence, and focus based on what I’ve discovered in David Allen’s book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity.

In the words of Michael Hyatt in his book Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less, he teaches us that productivity frees us to focus on what is most important to each of us. It’s not just about getting more things done, so that we can feel productive. It’s about creating order in our lives so that we can focus on what’s important.

Without going into the psychology of it all, here’s the dashboard I’ve created. If you’ll take these initial steps and follow through on them, it will help you manage your stress levels and allow you to be present.

The first thing you need is a note pad and pen. You can do this digitally if you like. I used Evernote- a productivity app- to create mine.

Write down everything you have to do. If you’re laughing or freaking out right now after reading that last sentence it’s o.k. To begin, just write down the things that have a high priority in your life right now. As we’ll see, your system is going to take time to develop and it will evolve for the rest of your life. For now just write down what needs to be done. That is, you want to write down what actions you have to take. Don’t do them, just write them down.

For example, don’t just write down Dog on your list. Write down Wash Dog. Schedule Oil Change. Schedule appointment with Eileen. Until you write these action steps down, they just create clamour in your life…they’re always humming in the background of your mind like a huge machine in a factory. Sometimes they remind you vocally when you’re least able to act on them. It can be three o’clock in the morning and your brain reminds you to wash the dog. So get them out of your head and on your dashboard. You can label this guage on your dashboard- actions to be taken.

Write your next actions down, but also take time to review them. There’s more. A gauge on a dashboard is only effective if you use it. When you do this, your brain stops reminding you of what has to be done. You turn off your lizard brain and you begin to focus more on what’s happening in the moment. This is only part of the system, but it’s key.

Recap: Write down next actions in a safe place so that you can refer to them as necessary. This becomes a physical gauge on your dashboard. Voila! It’s that simple. Try it and see if you don’t begin to feel better. Whenever you wonder if you are accomplishing what needs to be accomplished, you can simply glance at your dashboard.

The next gauge is projects. These are things that take more than one action. For example, plan the meeting with your boss to discuss the new initiative. Find a Counselor or Life Coach. Renovate the bathroom. You get the idea. Now write them down. You don’t have to do anything with them at this point, you just have to write them down. What you are doing is simply clearing your brain…unclogging your mental engine…allowing your brain to work at it’s optimum level in a way that it never has before.

Recap: 1) Write down next actions you have to take and review them periodically (guage 1). Step 2: write down projects you are thinking about and review them periodically (Gauge 2). Interestingly enough, you will learn to know when it is time to look at the dashboard.

The other gauges are pretty self-explanatory. A someday/maybe guage. A reference guage. A share/delegate guage.

Briefly, A someday/maybe gauge is a place where you record things that you’d like to do at a later time. They are not necessarily pressing at the moment. They might include Visit Niagara Falls. Take a night class. Without getting into too much detail, you can also break this file down into headings such as home, work, personal, dreams, etc. But for now it’s just important that you have a place to keep them on file.

The reference gauge is just the place where you keep things like the manual for your new refrigerator, memory sticks, articles you find interesting, etc. It doesn’t have to be a physical place but it helps. It can be as simple as a filing cabinet with alphabetical folders.

The share/delegate gauge is simply where you note work that needs to be delegated. For example, Ask Sean to rake the lawn. If you are an executive, it might include things like ask Cheryl to book my room in Atlanta for the conference. Hire an accountant.

Recap: 1) We are often stressed and unable to focus due to a lack of organization in our lives. We never really know where we stand, and have no way to measure progress and what needs to be done because we keep everything in our heads. 2) Our stress becomes manageable when we begin to record specific actions and review them at minimum, weekly. 3) This enables us to be productive at a deeper and higher level than we have ever experienced. In fact, when we take these simple steps, we become more productive and at peace than most of the people around us. 4) Creating and monitoring a personal dashboard frees us to be present with and focus on the people and things that matter most to us.

Your last assignment is simple but powerful. Set aside to think about what you need to do to personalize your own system. For example, you will find that once you start writing down next actions, it is like peeling the proverbial onion. You begin to realize there’s a lot more on your mind than you first imagined. That’s o.k. Remember, this is a life long process. It never ends. Getting organized in this way will never exempt you from the messiness of life. The difference is you will have a way to better navigate the chaos and sense control simultaneously.

Now begin to imagine differently. Rather than playing the movies about the future that you’ve always played, envision a new one. Imagine yourself creating the dashboard and experiencing the peace we’re talking about. Imagine taking the fly fishing trip you planned six months from now and having a peace you’ve never had before because you took a small chunk of time to change direction in your life and get organized. Imagine having a cup of coffee with your sister without worrying if there is any laundry to do.

Stop carrying everything around in your brain today. Write down what you need to do and review it from time to time. Then do what needs to be done. Only when you get everything out of your head will you begin to break free from stress and be free to enjoy all that life has in store for you.