The 2 Column Trick To Reduce Stress

I came across a simple exercise this week that instantly helped me clear my head.

It’s not my idea. I saw it in a video, but it works.

Here’s how it goes:

Take out a piece of paper (or open your Notes app) and draw two columns.

Column 1: What’s stressing me out right now?

Write down everything that’s on your mind.

Deadlines, open loops, worries, personal stuff. Dump it all out.

Don’t worry about formatting. Just get it out of your head and onto paper.

When you can face your thoughts, you stop being trapped in them.

Column 2: What can I do about it right now?

Next to each item, write one concrete action you can take to improve it.

It could be something small like sending an email, having a conversation or cleaning your workspace.

If there’s nothing you can do (because it’s out of your control) just write: “Nothing. Let it go.”

When I tried this myself, it helped me take inventory of what was on my mind.

I realized most of what I was stressed about either had a clear next step or wasn’t worth worrying about it in the first place.

As you improve yourself, your opportunities and responsibilities will grow too.

You can’t enjoy $1,000 problems if you still panic over $10 problems.

Learning to handle stress is part of leveling up.

Give this simple exercise a try next time your mind feels cluttered.

Take action on what you can, let go of what you can’t.

Keep it simple.