Accomplishment Beats Anxiety

I am a Master Procrastinator, a trait which I manage to balance by being also being the Get-It-Done Queen. This unholy marriage of characteristics occasionally generates stress, but it also gets my blood pumping! Over time, I have learned specific techniques that help me conquer unpleasant or difficult tasks in a systematic way.

1. MAKE A “TO DO” LIST. Getting all that stuff in your head documented helps convert vague worry into concrete action.

2. CATEGORIZE AND PRIORITIZE what you need to accomplish. Push aside those items that don’t need attention right now, and bump the critical things to the top of the list.

3. IDENTIFY DEPENDENCIES. “I have to complete Item C before I can do Item D.”

4. CREATE A DETAILED OUTLINE OR PLAN for any complex items, breaking them down into smaller tasks. This step is important to help you avoid being overwhelmed with any single challenge.

5. ASSIGN DUE DATES to major milestones. Be realistic but also aggressive.

6. RECRUIT RESOURCES to assist you, if needed.

7. KNOCK OFF SOME LOW-HANGING FRUIT. There may be a few really easy/quick things on your list, like making a phone call or scheduling a meeting. Do a few of those right off the bat, to get you kick-started and give you a sense of accomplishment.

8. REVIEW YOUR PLAN DAILY to stay focused. Make sure you are continually making some forward progress.

9. UPDATE YOUR PLAN STATUS REGULARLY. It will help to see concrete evidence that you are making progress.

Are you facing something today that you are dreading? Diffuse the effect worry has over you by defining your tasks and tackling them head on. Accomplishment triumphs over Anxiety.