make a list of things to do today

make a list of things to do today. Johnny Cash wrote on his to do list not to smoke kiss June not kiss anyone else eat too much go see mama and practice piano. Johnny Cash scheduling to worry. Scheduling time to worry sounds odd, it’s a proven strategy for reducing anxiety

— from The Heart in the Cockpit (Emotion/Awe/Anxiety/Regret/Empathy) · Better than Before - By Gretchen Rubin

In the book

The third kind gives shapeless worry a shape. Schedule it: set aside a time to worry, or take the long list of anxious tasks and assign just one or two to each day until they are done — Johnny Cash kept exactly this habit, writing "worry" onto his to-do list between "kiss June" and "practice piano". Only do not mistake meditation for a permanent cure; it calms you, but mostly while you are in it, so it has to be a daily practice rather than a one-time fix. […] When you are stuck in a traffic jam fuming, picture a friend who has died and ask what he would give to be stuck in this very jam — your whole perspective turns to gratitude. Tame anxiety with tools, not willpower. Breathe from the belly to calm the body; let the wave rise and pass without fighting it; schedule your worry instead of letting it run loose all day; and remember that worry steals today's peace without touching tomorrow's trouble. Decide by regret, then forgive yourself. Facing a hard choice, ask of each path, will I regret this? — and take the road with no regret. — The Heart in the Cockpit (Emotion/Awe/Anxiety/Regret/Empathy)

Also belongs to

Related