Worry Saps Productivity

« Why is Email such a Time Sink? | Main | Build In Contingency Time »

Jun13

Worry Saps Productivity

Claire Tompkins

Know More:

I'm starting a new category called Self Management. One of the basic tenets of my blog is that it's not about the tools, it's about you. It doesn't matter how good your tools are if you don't use them, and tools alone won't make you a productive person.

I've been listening to Earl Nightingale in the car recently, so I'm seeing things through the "attitude" lens these days. Just as happiness can help you get more done, worry can sap your productivity, not to mention your energy and general well-being.

Nightingale says that 40 percent of what we worry about is things that never happen. Here's where the other pie slices wind up:

Things over and past that can't be changed by all the worry in the world: 30 percent.
Needless worries about our health: 12 percent.
Petty, miscellaneous worries: 10 percent.
Real, legitimate worries: 8 percent. Only 8 percent of your worries are worth concerning yourself about. Ninety-two percent are pure fog with no substance at all.

Once you get on a worry jag, it's hard to stop. Worry tends to grow exponentially. So keep reminding yourself that 92% of what you're worried about isn't worth spending energy on can be a big help.

Try reining in your worries by thinking of them as projects or tasks you're assessing. If you're worried about getting fired (which could fall into the Things That Never Happen category), identify some to-do's associated with preventing that outcome. This is a way of converting that worry into positive action.

When there's specific action you can take right now, you regain some control instead of succumbing to the panic of worry. If you can't think of any to-do's, consider the notion that you're doing a terrific job and that worrying about being fired is counterproductive. Delete that task.

related entries

0 Comments/Trackbacks

submit a trackback

TrackBack URL for this entry:

Comment Preview

« Why is Email such a Time Sink? | Main | Build In Contingency Time »

Advertise

Related Resources

Office Space Finder - London and UK serviced offices

Advertise Here

recent comments

science on Is Business.com A Bargain? -- Part 3 of 3
on How to Take a Screenshot Using an HP Compaq Presario Notebook PC b1200
MicroSourcing on Smish: The App for Managing Your PC Apps
Theo on Hand Writing vs. Typing
Dave on One at a Time? Prioritizing versus Multi-tasking

sponsored ads

subscribe

Subscribe
What's this?

Prefer Email?
Subscribe below-

Current News

resources

Bookmark this Page
Write for us
About us
Team
Contact
Subscribe
Advertise
Network Map
Privacy
Disclaimer

Support This Blog

blogroll

My site was nominated for Best Business Blog!

Know More Media - Self-Improvement / Professional Development

know more media network

View Network Map

Network Feed List (OPML)

Know More Media Network
Feed

we support unitus

PRWeb

Influencer

ProductivityGoal is a member of the Know More Media network of business related blogs.

Here are some current headlines from some of our business publications:

ProductivityGoal

CallCenterScript

AdHurl

TheBizofKnowledge

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 619

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 620

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 621

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 622

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 737

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 738

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 739

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 740

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 619

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 620

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 621

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 622

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 737

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 738

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 739

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 740

HealthCareVox

BrainBasedBusiness

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 619

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 620

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 621

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 622

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 737

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 738

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 739

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 740

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 619

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 620

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 621

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 622

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 737

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 738

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 739

Warning: date() expects parameter 2 to be long, string given in /usr/www/users/chrisycm/kmm-network/includes/rss2html/rss2html.php on line 740