Calm in the Chaos: A Practice for Overloaded Seasons

How to see clearly, prioritize wisely, and stop adding things that don’t belong.

There are seasons to everything — the year, your work, your energy, your life.

Some seasons are slow and spacious. Others? Not so much. The pace picks up, the to-do list stretches longer than your waking hours, and even small things — like opening the drawer where your kids keep their shoes — feel like one more thing you should “probably” get to.

In seasons like this, I notice something curious: not only is my brain full of what actually needs to get done, but it also starts looking for more. Scanning for inefficiencies, clutter, or undone tasks — things that aren’t even urgent, but suddenly feel like they should be added to the list.

Case in point: I opened the pantry the other day and thought, Wow, this needs to be reorganized. But it doesn’t. Not now. Not in the middle of an already packed month. It was just my overwhelmed brain scanning for control. It was trying to create certainty where it could.

The Snow Globe Visualization (Thank You, Jason Goldberg)

Years ago, I came across something that Jason Goldberg shared, and it stuck with me.

He compared this feeling — the chaos, the flurry of activity and urgency — to shaking a snow globe. When it’s all stirred up, you can’t see anything clearly. Everything’s swirling. And our instinct in those moments is to keep pushing, to do more, to move faster. But all that does is keep the snowflakes suspended, whirling.

Instead, Jason suggests this: stop for a minute. Imagine the snow globe in your mind. Watch one snowflake at a time as it gently drifts to the ground. Then another. Then another. Let them settle. Let your mind settle.

Just one minute of stillness. Of watching it all come down.

And from there, you’ll feel the ground beneath you again. You’ll start to remember: I don’t need to do everything at once. I can’t.

The Juggling Act: Glass Balls and Rubber Balls

Now that the snowflakes have settled, what do you do?

This is where I bring in another metaphor that’s helped me: juggling.

In life, sometimes we’re juggling a few manageable balls. Other times we’re juggling way too many. And here’s the key: not all balls are created equal.

Some are glass — fragile, important, can’t be dropped. Others are rubber — they’ll bounce if they fall. They can wait. Or be removed altogether.

Glass balls might be your health. Sleep. A key work deadline. The thing that helps you stay mentally sane — like your morning walk or that 30-minute workout. Picking up your kids from school.

Rubber balls? The drawer of kids' shoes. The pantry. The emails that don’t actually need a reply today. The birthday party you don’t need to attend.

This metaphor doesn’t mean nothing matters. It means you consciously decide what you’re juggling right now — and what you’re not.

Write It Down and Let It Go

One small but powerful trick I use during these seasons is writing down the rubber balls — the non-urgent tasks — on a separate list. I call it my “later” list.

This gives my brain the reassurance that I won’t forget — and gives me permission to let it go for now. Just the act of writing it down can create a little exhale, a little space.

Because if I try to hold it all in my head, I won’t be able to enjoy any of it. Even the exciting stuff that’s happening during this busy season of life.

This Isn’t Just About Busy Weeks — It Can Be About a Whole Season

Sometimes what you’re navigating isn’t just a packed few weeks. It’s an entire season of life that feels too full, too heavy, or simply unsustainable.

When that’s the case, the snow globe metaphor and the juggling metaphor still apply — but with a twist.

You’re still letting the snowflakes settle. You’re still sorting out glass from rubber. But now you’re also diagnosing the system.

You’re asking deeper questions:

• Why is this season feeling like too much?

• What systems (or lack of systems) are making it harder than it needs to be?

• What needs to shift — not just temporarily, but for good?

• Is how I’m spending my time aligned with my values and my life priorities right now? Do they need to change?

And while you might not be able to press pause on life, you can consciously reduce the number of balls in the air while you do this work. You can let your nervous system breathe. You can put down what doesn’t serve this moment. And regroup to figure out the path forward.

Meditation Isn’t Just Sitting Still — It’s Returning to the Now

Lastly, this reminds me of what we learn in meditation: the mind will wander. That’s a given. The practice is simply returning.

Come back to your breath. Come back to the moment.

In the same way, when your mind starts spinning again — when the snow globe shakes or a new ball flies into the air — just come back.

Nope, that’s a rubber ball. Not for now.
Nope, I’m focused on the glass ones.
Here I am. Right here. Back again.

That’s the practice. Not perfection — just return.

If you’re in one of these full, swirling seasons, I hope this gave you a breath, a little more clarity, and a gentle reminder that you can be in control — not of everything, but of what matters most.

It helped me just to write this out and remind myself of this approach to seasons with chaos.

With you in it,
Liz