Driven by Anxiety
“I know my anxiety is taking a toll on me, but it’s what makes me more productive than everyone else. It’s the reason I’ve gotten so far in my career.” – Every client I’ve ever had
Yes, anxiety can produce some results very quickly, but it’s not sustainable.
The truth is, anxiety is a really bad motivational strategy.
Fear-driven productivity puts us in fight-or-flight mode. Our vision (literally and figuratively) narrows, our pulse quickens, we tense up, our prefrontal cortex goes offline, and all we can focus on is discharging our task as quickly as possible.
This doesn’t lead to creative, innovative, or empathetic solutions.
We exhaust our physical reserves…and the patience of those who have to make sense out of the trail of chaos that scattered, anxiety-induced decision making leaves behind.
The good news is there are concrete ways to begin deprogramming anxiety as the driving motivator within ourselves and our teams:
- Counterbalance results-oriented goals with process goals that incentivize decision quality, learning/growth, and work not done.
- Get clear with your self/team/family on what your must-do responsibilities really are, and get their explicit permission to let go of the items that don’t make the cut.
- Start noticing and reality-testing the subtle inner story you’re acting on when the panic starts to set in (e.g. “if I don’t respond to this email in the next 5 minutes everyone will think I’m incompetent and then I’ll get fired and then…”)
- Set reminders for self check-ins throughout the day to notice if you’re in fight-or-flight mode. Do whatever you need to do to shift gears if so.
What else would you add to the list?
It takes time to unwind old patterning, but with some practice you’ll begin to notice that you are naturally driven and can trust yourself to focus on what matters, from a place of alignment and purpose rather than fear.
Photo by Joice Kelly on Unsplash
