It breaks my heart to see so many coaches stuck. I’ve been there.

When new coaches reach out to work with me, I ask them for a snapshot of what they’re doing to build their business.

Nearly all admit that their head is spinning because they’re doing stuff like this:

That fire hose of confusing information leaves you breathless with overwhelm and unable to move forward.

This is what I call the new coach swirl and spin and it’s time to snap out of it.

How to Stop New Coach Depression from Setting In

I intimately know what new coach swirl and spin looks and feels like. I lived there myself.

Thousands of bits of disconnected information can shut down your executive function, your creativity and intuition.

And that’s when fear and doubt surges up within you.

And then your brain starts pulling up all the quote “evidence” to support those doubts.

Pretty soon anxiety has you in its grip. Everything slows to a dead stop.

You start thinking about giving up. Part of you really wants to give up. It would be so much easier.

Then your ever helpful brain begins to justify that idea.

And shame surfaces.

That’s the new coach swirl and spin!

Of course, this doesn’t just happen to new coaches. It happens to most new entrepreneurs. It happens to students and people who were unceremoniously dropped into a promotion without the correct training.

But there’s one thing for sure and that is … you have to stop this before you get to the breaking point.

4 New Habits to Stop New Coach Overwhelm

Wouldn’t it be great if you never got to that shame stage I just mentioned, where you negotiate with yourself about quitting coaching?

Put these 4 habits in place now:

Habit #1  Open to Bite Size and Specific Information

Reach out for specific information that will help you move forward on ONE specific bite sized goal. It’s so much easier than if you dig into a big project when you’re already overwhelmed.

Habit #2  Learn Incrementally and Take Action

Get the specific information you need from one reliable source, take action. Then PAUSE.

Sometimes the best training is observing and doing. Learning incrementally on a pace that your brain can support.

Habit #3  Block Time for Learning

I’m a big fan of blocking time. Try blocking time for:

Also block time for learning. Put it in your calendar. Consider limiting it to one 1/2 hour at a time.

When I decided to start podcasting, I looked for a training program where I could go at my own pace but also be able to ask questions of an expert.

And that way, if I had 1/2 hour, I could learn something new and test it out.

Habit #4  Set Up a Learning Community

Way back in Episode #4 – How to Feel Less Isolated in Your Coaching Business I talked about the importance of community when you’re building a coaching business.

If you’re in learning mode around a particular task or strategy, see if there’s a Facebook group or an online forum or a meetup group you can join for knowledge sharing.

Habit #5  Control Your Speed

So realize this … YOU control your speed.

Slow down when you feel the first inkling of overwhelm. Breathe. Go outside.

Then, when you feel that you’ve averted the swirl and spin, go into first gear and ask yourself:

What is the next immediate step, something small that I can do right now?

Then take it.

Set a timer for a reasonable amount of time and do that.

Then ask yourself again. What is the next immediate step?

When you’re ready, shift up to 2nd gear, go for it but keep an eye on whether your speed is serving you or burning you out.

Remember, you can always downshift.

I can’t tell you how often I work with coaches who move at a lightning pace and they do so much wrong — not because they are not smart, not because they don’t have the support or guidance they need, but because they are trying to check it off the list.

They don’t give themselves a change to integrate anything or really get value from the experience.

In your coaching business, you control your speed. You control your intake of information. You control your reaction to what everyone else is doing in their coaching business that doesn’t have to be what YOU do. Stay inspired and make things happen!