The document discusses dealing with the worry that you may not be doing the right task. It describes how as adults we have more freedom to choose tasks but without certainty that our choices are correct. This leads to a nagging worry that we should be doing something else. The author provides steps to address this worry, including shining awareness on the worry, accepting it as a constant companion, choosing a task and sticking with it for 5 minutes without distraction, to overcome the forces of worry and feel accomplished.

1. The Worry That You’re Doing the Wrong Thing Right Now
By Leo Babauta
It’s first thing in your workday, and you open up your email. There’s a host of messages,
old and new, asking for your attention. You also open up other inboxes in social media and
the like. You quickly go through them and get a picture of what you need to get done right
now.
But where do you start?
You begin one task from an email, but then quickly have the urge to see if there’s
something else more important you should be doing. And this problem repeats itself —
every time you sit down with one thing, the dozens of others on your mind (and the many
potential urgent items that might be coming in as you sit there) are grasping for your
attention.
Is there ever any certainty that you’re doing the right thing right now?
Does the worry that you’re doing the wrong thing ever go away?
This is something I’ve grappled with myself for years — I sit down to write (this post, for
example), and the nagging feeling from the back of my mind pesters me, asks me to check
email or my financial accounts or the calendar or various social media. Quieting this
feeling isn’t always easy.
But still I get the important things done (usually). This comes from a small set of steps I
take that help keep the forces of worry at bay.
I’ll lay out those steps in a moment — for now, let’s talk about where this worry comes
from.
The Source of the Worry
Why does this worry come about in the first place? Why can’t we just be confident that
this is the exact thing we need to be doing right now? That would be nice.
When we were kids, most of us had someone to tell us what to do. A parent or a teacher,
who would give us a chore or assignment, and we knew this was what we should be doing.
Of course, it wasn’t always what we wanted to be doing, so there was that. But there
wasn’t doubt about what we should be doing, because it was laid out by an authority.
Then came adulthood, where things became not-so-clear. We became the boss of
ourselves — even if theoretically we have a boss, in reality we have the ability to choose
between a bunch of tasks and projects and communication tools, not to mention having to

2. do personal stuff like laundry and cooking the healthy meals that we’re all obviously
cooking for ourselves and picking up the kids. We are making choices all day long, with no
one to tell us that these choices are correct.
We see other people pounding out the productivity, and imagine them to be rock solid in
their choices, always sure they are doing the right task.
I’m here to tell you that this is an illusion. No one is sure, no one is free from the worry.
The worry comes because we want to be doing the perfect thing, and we also want not to
mess up. This would be nice: no messing up a project, or our jobs, or that pesky little thing
called life.
So we have the desire: not-to-mess-up or do-the-perfect-thing, and we have the fear
(worry) that it won’t happen. This dynamic is present in every moment, in everything we
do, unsaid and unnoticed most of the time, present only as background noise but also by
nagging worry and urges to run to something else.
We can beat it by shining the light of our awareness on it, and digging in our heels against
it, and being OK with it being there in the first place.
Steps to Deal with the Worry
OK, Leo, you say to your computer as you read this (I imagine you staring at the screen of
a Macintosh Performa 5200) … just tell me what to do to defeat the forces of worry!
Right on:
1. Shine the brilliant light of awareness: Notice the worry as you sit down to do a
task, or to contemplate what task to do. It’s there in the background. Turn your
attention to it, and just notice it. Don’t fear it, don’t hate it, don’t worry about it.
Just notice.
2. Accept it as a friend: It’s always there, and will always be there with you. This
worry will go through life with you, much as your consciousness of your own
existence does, for as long as your heart shall beat. Don’t fear it, don’t try to kill it.
Instead, give it a hug. Embrace it. Accept it. Get used to it. You’re together for the
long haul.
3. Welcome it along on an important task: Pick one task to do now. It can be
anything, but choose something that feels important to your life and work.
Something that you know will help others and yourself. There might be a bunch of
them, so just choose quickly on gut instinct. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be the
“perfect task”. Notice the worry coming along with you. That’s OK. Put your arm
around its shoulder, and go along the path together, happy in your newfound

3. friendship.
4. Set an intention to stick with the task: Before you actually start the task, make an
agreement with your friend worry. You’re going to stick with this task, at least for
5 minutes, without switching or following the urge to check other things. For
these glorious 5 minutes, you will be sure of one thing: you will do this task, no
matter if it’s the perfect task or not. Because actually, my friends, the perfect task
doesn’t exist, and the search for it is but a grailquest. Instead, focus on this one
task, and be sure you’re going to stick with it.
5. Stick with the task: You probably saw this coming from the last step. The worry
will come up — notice it, smile, embrace it like that friend you have who’s always
doing crazy things, and then … stick with the task. You’ll be fine. It’ll be great, in
fact. Triumphant and exultant.
And if you do these steps, you’ll get your task done, and then breathe. And smile. Because
you came a long way, and you might have a long way to go, but you’re here. You’ve
arrived. And it’s a lovely place to be.
Rate today's article
[Ed. Note. Leo Babauta is the owner of ZenHabits.net, a website devoted to providing
clear and concise wisdom on how to simplify your life. He's also the author of, The
Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential, in Business and in
Life.]
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