Scheduled Worry

Stop Overthinking in 10 minutes a day

Scheduled worry is a simple daily exercise that will help you:

• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Fall asleep faster
• Improve your focus and concentration

What is Scheduled Worry, Exactly?

Scheduled worry is an exercise that trains your mind to stop worrying all the time by rewarding it for worrying at the right time.

Here’s what it looks like:

1. Pick a scheduled worry time. Aim for a window of time that will work every day of the week.
2. Write down everything you’re worried about. Use pen and paper. Set a timer for 10 minutes on your phone. When you’re done, throw your worries away.
3. Maintain good boundaries with your worries. If you find yourself worrying outside of your scheduled worry time, remind yourself you’ve got a worry time, and refocus on the task at hand.

How to Get Started

It really is as simple as taking a few minutes daily(ish) to write down all your worries. But if you’d like a bit more structure and guidance, I put together a free scheduled worry quick start guide:

Watch Me Do Scheduled Worry

Example of Nick actually doing scheduled worry…

Common Questions About Scheduled Worry

I’m skeptical… How will worrying on purpose help me worry less?

Scheduled worry is a mental exercise that trains your brain to worry at a specific time, and by extension, not at other times.

Think about how you potty train a new puppy…

• When little Fido pees on the kitchen floor, you can’t just yell at him or explain logically why he should stop.
• Instead, you need to train the puppy that there’s a right place to do its business by rewarding it for peeing there.
• As a result, it will increasingly use only that spot and not all the other places around your house.

Similarly, if you want your brain to stop bombarding you with worries throughout the day, you can’t just yell at yourself to stop worrying or try to convince it logically. You need to train it to worry at the right time—this is why we scheduled time to worry on purpose, giving it our full attention, which is rewarding.

Over time, you will find yourself worrying a lot less at other points throughout the day because your brain is learning to worry at the right time.

Do I have to do scheduled worry at the same time every day?

No. As long as you’re doing it consistently that’s what matters.

That said, it’s usually much easier to stay consistent with a scheduled worry habit if it happens at a consistent time that makes sense given your schedule and responsibilities.

Won’t worrying on purpose just make me more anxious?

Imagine your personal trainer recommended you start lifting weights.

And them, in response, you said:

Lift weights… Won’t that just make me weaker and more tired?

What do you think they would say?

Probably something along the lines of:

Well, in the very short-term lifting weights will make you tired. But in the long run, lifting weights is a great way to build strength.

A similar principle applies to worry: Scheduled worry is an exercise, not a coping strategy. We’re doing this to fundamentally retrain your mental habits. This is about the long-game, not quick fixes and temporary relief.

That said, most people find that doing scheduled worry is actually far less worry-producing or anxiety-causing than they imagine. In fact, the majority of people in my experience often feel relieved after doing their scheduled worry.

Still have more questions about scheduled worry?

In my free Scheduled Worry Quickstart Guide I cover lots of other common questions about scheduled worry, including:

• Are there certain times of day that are best for doing scheduled worry?
• What should I do when I find myself worrying outside of my scheduled worry time?
• I do scheduled worry whenever I start to feel worried but it only makes it worse!
• How long do I have to keep doing scheduled worry?
• Should I keep my written-out worries and revisit them from time to time?
• Can I do scheduled worry on my computer or phone instead of pen and paper?

Do you have any other resources for worry and anxiety?

Definitely. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Creating Calm. My course on overcoming chronic worry and anxiety.
• 7 Pieces of Advice That Will Help You Be Less Anxious. Short article listing the key ideas everyone needs to know about the psychology of anxiety and to manage it better.
• 6 Expert Tips for Overcoming Social Anxiety (video). My friend and anxiety-expert Emma McAdam and I share our favorite tips and strategies for dealing with social anxiety.