Last summer, I had been in the trenches with all of you, working on HUGE, complicated project.
I was writing the final chapters for my first time management book for McGraw Hill, The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success with Less Stress. Although it was a very intense two months, it was fantastic to see that my principles withstand the test of extremely challenging circumstances. Plus, I learned some important new lessons that I’m looking forward to sharing with you. One of them is this:
The Importance of Leveraging Anxiety
It may seem odd for me to encourage you to “leverage anxiety.” Isn’t anxiety bad or simply some sort of mental weakness?
Well, yes, and no.
On the one hand, anxiety separated from reality can have all sorts of counterproductive effects like causing you to shut down under pressure or to frantically throw yourself into an activity. We don’t want to allow emotional compulsions to control us so in these instances working on your mental game with positive affirmations or meditation can really help.
But when anxiety rises in you based on the recognition of a true problem, you shouldn’t ignore it, but leverage it.
But if you’re using the techniques I describe in this post, and still start to feel anxious, you can channel that sensation into productive action in these ways:
Leveraging Anxiety over Past Focus:
- Big Picture: If reviewing actual numbers from past projects makes you anxious about your current project, this is a sign that you may need to ask for a deadline extension or extra support.
- Day-to-Day: If you evaluate your weekly progress and start to feel anxious, that’s a signal that you need to start allocating more time to your main project or push yourself to move through it at a faster pace.
Leveraging Anxiety over Present Focus:
- Big Picture: If looking over your weekly or monthly schedule raises your anxiety, see what other responsibilities you can eliminate or delay until later. Even if you’ve already agreed to something, it’s often better to back out early than to try to do everything and let everyone down.
- Day-to-Day: If your daily progress (or lack of progress) causes you stress, do whatever it takes to get focused. Go to an Internet-free location, install blocking software or uninstall tempting programs, turn off your phone, listen to music, and use this anxiety to lock you in on your goal.
Leveraging Anxiety over Future Focus:
- Big Picture: If thinking of what comes after you finish your big project makes you anxious, you may need to start doing some exploratory research. It could be as simple as talking with someone who has done what you’re doing before or thinking through the big picture steps of what will need to be done. Try to identify what actually makes you afraid and to address that fear directly.
- Day-to-Day: If you’ve mapped out the next micro-level steps and you still feel afraid to execute, it may be time to get someone to help you do the work, teach you a new skill, or at least give you feedback. If you don’t know what you’re doing, admit it and get support.
Over the course of writing my book, I experienced anxiety in all of these areas. But instead of denying my anxiety, I leveraged it as a powerful force to take the steps that would drive me toward my goal and reinstate my sense of inner peace.
I hope you find these insights helpful in conquering the big challenges in your path.
To your brilliance!
“Getting rid of all traces of anxiety would be like successfully dismantling your house’s security system. Yes, things are quieter and more relaxed, but you won’t know you are in trouble until it’s too late.“
~from “Good Anxiety–and Bad” in Psychology Today
About Real Life E®
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E® a time coaching and training company that empowers individuals who feel guilty, overwhelmed and frustrated to feel peaceful, confident and accomplished through an exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. She is an expert on achieving more success with less stress. Real Life E® also increases employee productivity, satisfaction and work/life balance through custom training programs.
McGraw Hill published her first book The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success with Less Stress. Elizabeth contributes to blogs like Lifehacker, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and the 99U blog on productivity for creative professionals. She was selected as one of the Top 25 Amazing Women of the Year by Stiletto Woman.
