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Abstract

y review</a> where I empty out that Google Keep note, and associate the relevant tasks to projects and then into my calendar from there, according to their importance.</p><p id="edbe">By writing it down, I’m telling my brain that I don’t want to deal with it now, and it can open up that little bit of bandwidth for the tasks I am focusing on right now.</p><p id="d896">For someone who is great at generating ideas, this has worked a dream for maintaining a clear head and allowing me to focus on the things that matter.</p><h1 id="7f28">Sit On A Rock & Watch</h1><p id="0171">If you’ve ever had an anxious moment or are generally an anxious person, you know that the emotions associated grip you like a vice.</p><p id="9db7">There seems to be a stranglehold that incapacitates you.</p><p id="b526">If I find myself heading down that road, I take a moment, close my eyes and pretend I’m sitting on a quiet rock looking out into the river. In front of me, floating down the river are all my emotions. I don’t try and see them, I just let them present themselves and then notice them.</p><p id="398a"><i>Worry</i>. <i>Frustration</i>. <i>Insecurity</i>. I watch them all float past. I don’t try and deal with them, I’m simply noting the emotions and observing them from an objective viewpoint. Once I feel like I’ve noted all of the associated emotions, I rationalize each of them individually.</p><p id="1484">You’re worried because you feel under-prepared for the meeting. But you’re not. You know all the facts and figures required, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with saying “Let me get back to you”. No one is perfect, they’re all humans sitting around the table.</p><p id="4030">By dealing with your emotions one by one, you can deconstruct the storm before it can take hold of you and affect your whole psyche.</p><h1 id="10dc">Be Absolutely Present</h1><p id="2385">A large part of being in a frantic, anxious state has to do with projecting.</p><p id="d007">If you know, you know. Constant worry about the future, and planning for every last eventuality is something that’s ingrained. How do you escape from the constant nagging?</p><p id="c993">I decided to dive in. After a bit of introspection, and using the <a href="https://readmedium.com/an-introverts-guide-to-being-confident-at-work-23889a8cebd8?source=your_stories_page---------------------------">5-Why’s technique</a> to get to the root cause of the issue, I think I have a reasonable explanation.</p><p id="5a96">Constant worry about the future and fanatical planning stems from not wanting to be surprised by anything. I’m bad at dealing with unplanned events because it means I’m not in control. Having limited control leads to unexpected outcomes. Unexpected outcomes mean I may be caught off guard and do something out of the ordinary. So everything stems from a social-anxiety of wanting to fit in.</p><p id="5a9e">That’s something I’ve come to in a few introspection sessions, and that’s the root cause that needs to be fixed so that the symptoms take care of themselves.</p><p id="11c1">By forcing yourself to stop projecting, you’re able to enjoy the moment, absorb your surroundings and maintain a healthier mental balance. This means clearer thought and clearer decisions.</p><h1 id="cdbf">Use Your Calendar</h1><p id="b6be">Leading on from the previous section, this is my number one tool for ‘not-worrying’.</p><p id="1302">As you can imagine, I’m an on-time person. Being late freaks me out more than most things — irrationally so.</p><p id="e4e0">I use my calendar to control my t

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ime effectively. I don’t have to worry about <i>what I should be doing instead of what I’m actually doing</i>, because I know that I’ve planned my week in advance. If I simply stick to what’s in my calendar, everything will go according to the ‘master-plan’.</p><h1 id="7ed9">Slow Down</h1><p id="618e">My dad works in vehicle insurance. Part of their business deals with driver management for long-haul fleets. The single biggest cause of accidents is speeding. To prove to the drivers that speeding just wasn’t worth it, they did extensive data analysis on every single trip they had ever recorded since the company started (using accelerometers, etc.). From the analysis, they discovered that over a distance of 600km (372 miles), on one of their client's most popular routes, a driver who consistently exceeded the speed limit by more than 20km/h only arrived a few minutes faster than the drivers who consistently drove at the speed limit or below.</p><p id="3bee">The law of averages at work.</p><p id="c638">I was very much like the speeding truck driver. Everything was at full-blast, even when it didn’t need to be.</p><p id="20d9">I was going nowhere fast.</p><p id="6d60">By allowing myself to do things slowly, I relaxed and became more aware of everything going on around me and had the time to appreciate the moment.</p><p id="480a">I encourage you to do it, it’s one of the best changes I’ve made in recent months. Take the long route home. Go for a walk. Stay for dessert. Let someone into traffic.</p><p id="cf1a">Hopefully, some of these can help you clear your mind, live a present life and stay productive. It’s a long journey, but I know they’ve helped me to get started.</p><h1 id="5b93">Some more reading you might like:</h1><div id="7561" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/an-introverts-guide-to-being-confident-at-work-23889a8cebd8"> <div> <div> <h2>An Introverts Guide to Being Confident at Work</h2> <div><h3>Use the ‘5 whys’ technique to find the root cause of your problem</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*mA0QLQbw_MFsu6rM9yZazg.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="617f" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-build-habits-that-last-381e6726e083"> <div> <div> <h2>How to build habits that last</h2> <div><h3>Common wisdom says it takes 21 days.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*R6z14WYC0WeUUAGPBSFlfQ.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="d2a6" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/just-one-more-19c5e9047dc7"> <div> <div> <h2>How to do the difficult things you don’t want to</h2> <div><h3>And build mental resilience while you’re at it.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*dgYR6Nw7LL0_WfjsFpGeQw.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

How to Keep a Clear Head in a Noisy World

Techniques for being productive, reducing anxiety and staying present on a day-to-day basis.

Find the clear waters, and all will be revealed. Photo by Leon Seierlein on Unsplash

I am an extremely anxious person. I can hear some of you saying “Well if that’s how you see yourself, that’s how you’ll always be.” And I agree with you.

However, part of fixing something is acknowledging there’s a problem. And my anxiety is a problem.

So I’ve decided to fix it.

I’ve realized a large part of it stems from an innate feeling of inadequacy. I always need to be doing better. Going harder. Running faster. Getting their quicker. Earning more. Being more efficient with my time.

I have to be the best version of myself that I can be. All. The. Time.

What’s the driving force here? I have no idea.

Part of being so highly strung and Type-A is I have a very busy head. My instinct survival is constantly in over-drive. I’m looking for the next idea, the next opportunity, where I have to be next. This is extremely exhausting.

I have had to find ways to cope with it. These are some of the tools I’m using to help me maintain a clear head, take control of my anxiety and become a more fulfilled (and more productive, actually) person.

Do It Now

First things first, if you can do it in less than 5 minutes then do it right now.

Those three pieces of clothing that have been bothering you on your bedroom floor? Fold them up right now. There isn’t a more convenient time.

This is especially true for difficult tasks. As soon as it pops into your head, if you are not busy with something important, make an action that gets you closer to getting it done.

Say it’s a difficult phone call you have to make, you forget about it and then suddenly it comes back to you while you’re sitting on the couch at home. That’s your mind saying; Hey, I can’t relax while I have this obligation weighing on me, deal with this please. In these situations, I find the best thing to do is before you can justify your way around it, make a quick action which gets you on your way: pick up your phone and start dialing. Before you know it, the phones ringing and you can’t back out.

Don’t give your mind time to remind you why you’ve been putting this off. Just do it, now.

If Not Now, Write it Down

If it's not a quick-fix problem, you need to write it down to get it out of your head. I find the best way to do this is to have a Google Keep note which is called ‘Mind Dump’.

Anything that’s on my mind goes there. This gives me some security in knowing that I will get to it because I do.

As part of being productive, I have a weekly review where I empty out that Google Keep note, and associate the relevant tasks to projects and then into my calendar from there, according to their importance.

By writing it down, I’m telling my brain that I don’t want to deal with it now, and it can open up that little bit of bandwidth for the tasks I am focusing on right now.

For someone who is great at generating ideas, this has worked a dream for maintaining a clear head and allowing me to focus on the things that matter.

Sit On A Rock & Watch

If you’ve ever had an anxious moment or are generally an anxious person, you know that the emotions associated grip you like a vice.

There seems to be a stranglehold that incapacitates you.

If I find myself heading down that road, I take a moment, close my eyes and pretend I’m sitting on a quiet rock looking out into the river. In front of me, floating down the river are all my emotions. I don’t try and see them, I just let them present themselves and then notice them.

Worry. Frustration. Insecurity. I watch them all float past. I don’t try and deal with them, I’m simply noting the emotions and observing them from an objective viewpoint. Once I feel like I’ve noted all of the associated emotions, I rationalize each of them individually.

You’re worried because you feel under-prepared for the meeting. But you’re not. You know all the facts and figures required, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with saying “Let me get back to you”. No one is perfect, they’re all humans sitting around the table.

By dealing with your emotions one by one, you can deconstruct the storm before it can take hold of you and affect your whole psyche.

Be Absolutely Present

A large part of being in a frantic, anxious state has to do with projecting.

If you know, you know. Constant worry about the future, and planning for every last eventuality is something that’s ingrained. How do you escape from the constant nagging?

I decided to dive in. After a bit of introspection, and using the 5-Why’s technique to get to the root cause of the issue, I think I have a reasonable explanation.

Constant worry about the future and fanatical planning stems from not wanting to be surprised by anything. I’m bad at dealing with unplanned events because it means I’m not in control. Having limited control leads to unexpected outcomes. Unexpected outcomes mean I may be caught off guard and do something out of the ordinary. So everything stems from a social-anxiety of wanting to fit in.

That’s something I’ve come to in a few introspection sessions, and that’s the root cause that needs to be fixed so that the symptoms take care of themselves.

By forcing yourself to stop projecting, you’re able to enjoy the moment, absorb your surroundings and maintain a healthier mental balance. This means clearer thought and clearer decisions.

Use Your Calendar

Leading on from the previous section, this is my number one tool for ‘not-worrying’.

As you can imagine, I’m an on-time person. Being late freaks me out more than most things — irrationally so.

I use my calendar to control my time effectively. I don’t have to worry about what I should be doing instead of what I’m actually doing, because I know that I’ve planned my week in advance. If I simply stick to what’s in my calendar, everything will go according to the ‘master-plan’.

Slow Down

My dad works in vehicle insurance. Part of their business deals with driver management for long-haul fleets. The single biggest cause of accidents is speeding. To prove to the drivers that speeding just wasn’t worth it, they did extensive data analysis on every single trip they had ever recorded since the company started (using accelerometers, etc.). From the analysis, they discovered that over a distance of 600km (372 miles), on one of their client's most popular routes, a driver who consistently exceeded the speed limit by more than 20km/h only arrived a few minutes faster than the drivers who consistently drove at the speed limit or below.

The law of averages at work.

I was very much like the speeding truck driver. Everything was at full-blast, even when it didn’t need to be.

I was going nowhere fast.

By allowing myself to do things slowly, I relaxed and became more aware of everything going on around me and had the time to appreciate the moment.

I encourage you to do it, it’s one of the best changes I’ve made in recent months. Take the long route home. Go for a walk. Stay for dessert. Let someone into traffic.

Hopefully, some of these can help you clear your mind, live a present life and stay productive. It’s a long journey, but I know they’ve helped me to get started.