Rank Your Tasks Based on Fear

I tell my students to try to do those things first that make them the most afraid.

Of all the emotions that drive us, fear is the most primal. Yet fear must be confronted if we are to survive individually or as a species. Without confronting our fears how could human beings have learned to hunt, conquer the land, the seas and eventually even the cold depths of space. As students and professionals you likely fear those things that have yet to be rather than those currently facing you. To become productive and grow as a person, the only strategy you need when confronting the daunting amount of things on your todo list is to rank them based on fear. Then do those tasks first that scare you the most.

Photo by Dalton Touchberry on Unsplash

Things that scare us

• Things that are delayed tend to scare you the most, gnawing at your confidence and repose. Do these first.

• Things that are due soon tend to make you anxious (anxiety is just another flavor of fear). Do these tasks soon.

• Those tasks that re…