This Too Shall Pass: A Founder’s Framework for Navigating Chaos and Overwhelm
Tom Hanks may not be known for business strategy, but he once said the most profound piece of entrepreneurial wisdom I’ve ever heard:
“This too shall pass.”
It’s the advice he was given at the height of his success, and the mindset that carried him through both celebration and struggle.
And after the month I’ve just had? I get it.
Over the past 30 days, I’ve spoken with nearly 20 entrepreneurs, all unrelated, all at different revenue levels, all facing the exact same thing: total, all-consuming overwhelm.
Some were drowning in problems. Others were flooded with opportunity. But the feeling? Identical.
So today, I want to give you two things:
A mindset reset: This isn’t forever.
A practical framework: How to go from chaos to clarity in a matter of hours.
My “This Too Shall Pass” Moment (Two Years Apart)
Almost exactly two years ago, I hit what I thought was rock bottom.
The startup I worked for collapsed. My severance disappeared. Legal drama was incoming. I had no job, no business, no plan. Just fear.
And yet, in the middle of panic, one thought saved me:
This is temporary.
From that moment, I took one step. Then another. I started my company. I got my first client. I stumbled forward like a baby giraffe for months until momentum caught up and took over.
Fast-forward to today, and I found myself again muttering “This too shall pass”… but for the opposite reason.
This time, it wasn’t lack of demand.
It was too much demand.
Paid ads started hitting harder than I expected. Calls were rolling in faster than my brain (or calendar) could process. My team was at full capacity. The list of “urgent problems” in my head grew so loud that I woke up at 4am in strategy spirals.
Sound familiar?
Overwhelm happens on the way down and on the way up.
And in both cases, the solution is the same.
The Business Triage Method: From Chaos to Clarity
If you’re in a season where everything feels urgent, here’s what to do next.
Step 1: Dump your chaos onto paper
Write down everything that feels broken, stressful, confusing, or uncertain.
Don’t prettify it. Don’t organize it. Just empty your brain.
This single act immediately:
Reduces emotional load
Makes overwhelm visible instead of internal
Creates enough distance for logic to re-enter
Step 2: Walk away from the list
Seriously. Put it in a drawer for 7–14 days.
Why?
Because your emotional brain wrote it, your logical brain needs to be the one to edit.
Step 3: Revisit and cross off anything that isn’t real
Fear exaggerates. Anxiety invents fake problems. Half of what you wrote won’t even matter when you see it with a calm brain.
Step 4: Have someone you trust double-check your list
If you’re a solopreneur, ask another founder or your second-in-command. They’ll see the distractions, ego-projects, and shiny objects faster than you will.
Step 5: Prioritize by risk of inaction
Ask: If I don’t fix this, what happens?
If the business fails → Top of list.
If customers suffer → Second.
If it’s just annoying → Bottom.
Step 6: Apply time tradeoffs
Just because something can be fixed doesn’t mean it should be fixed right now.
Ask: Is this “broken”… or just “good enough for now”? If it’s good enough until you’re 2x the size? Park it.
Step 7: Choose ONE needle-moving change
Then put everything else back in the drawer.
You’re not failing by ignoring it.
You’re leading by refusing to dilute your focus.
My Current Reality (Proof That I’m in It With You)
Back in April, I scaled from 1 to 5 team members because demand outgrew capacity.
Last month, it happened again.
So I did the exercise above. I realized:
Priority #1: Fix staffing capacity. I hired more COOs + launched a careers page.
Priority #2 (next): Fix sales process.I documented scripts, tracking systems,and pipeline workflows before hiring a salesperson.
I don’t get overwhelmed less because I’m a COO.
I just move through it faster because I know what to do when the spiral starts.
Final Reminder
Chaos is normal. Predictability is the exception.
If you run a business, you will feel overwhelmed regularly. You don’t need to eliminate the chaos, you just need a way to navigate it.
So when the next wave hits, say this out loud:
“This too shall pass. Now… what’s the next right move?”
You’ve got this. I’m living proof.
And if you need help? We do this for founders every single day at On Call COO.
