With a cup of coffee in your hand, you start the day and log on. You’re greeted by a barrage of unread messages.
Your tasks are piling up. You rush to answer urgent questions as quickly as possible and get it all cleared out. As the pressure increases, your mind races and your heart rate speeds up.
What’s your overall feeling at this moment? Are you already feeling behind even before it’s 9:15?
Maybe you’ve been trained to think stress is on your side. It gives you a burst of energy, right? But what if it’s sabotaging your success?
What if you could face that inbox calmly and strategically?
In this episode, I’ll talk about the delicate balance between urgency and panic. And I’ll tell you how my executive coach helped me find the perspective I didn’t even know I needed.
Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/27.
Hello Ops Execs!
Recognizing the Signs of a Panic-Driven Mindset
I have been working with my executive coach since about 2010. My favorite thing about working with her is those moments when she helps me see things that I have been oblivious to.
For example: Many years ago, I was telling her about my week. There was a lot happening. I felt frustrated and unable to get ahead anywhere, despite working constantly.
Frankly, I wanted her to give me advice on how to get it all done. I’m always on the hunt for operations hacks for life. Sometimes I just want someone to give me the answers! After letting me vent a while, she said:
“It sounds like you have a habit of panic.”
And I was like, “Wait, what?” I was kind of taken aback. I just wanted the answer, and she was pulling me up onto a balcony to look at myself. It felt in the moment like she was going off-topic. Except in coaching sessions, your perspective is the topic. She asked:
“What does it feel like physically to have this experience?”
I said something like: “It’s like wearing a coat that’s too small, I just want to get out of it. It feels like a tightness in my chest and throat. Always hurrying to look at the next six things on my to-do list when this one isn’t even done yet. There’s a buzzing in my brain, like a thousand bees, and it's unsettling. I can’t even sit back in my chair.”
She said, “So how often do you feel this way?”
I realized it was, like, every single day. No matter what was getting done or not getting done. I couldn’t remember the last day I didn’t feel like I had a constant low-level of panic. Even on weekends or holidays.
Until that moment, it was invisible to me. I didn’t have the language for it. Now at least I had more information as leverage.
The Energy of Stress: How Panic Affects Performance
Now, to be sure, I can hear some of my favorite ops heroes saying: “But Laura, I thrive on stress. It helps me focus and stay sharp.” And I get it, I know how that feels. That can be true.
But there’s a fine line. It can be tricky to tell when you’ve crossed over from healthy stress into panic. I know often when I am hurrying, I can feel more productive, more powerful, and even more important.
At some point, that energy knocks you off your center of gravity. It creeps into your thoughts like a virus and blooms into panic, clouding your ability to think clearly, make good decisions, and communicate well. You can only get so far by continually grinding it out.
Panic impacts your performance. When you’re in a panic, you miss important details and make stupid mistakes. And you have to both think fast and make great decisions under pressure.
If this sounds familiar, I recommend getting familiar with your habit of panic with some kindness and curiosity.
Once you slow down to understand what’s happening inside you, you can work with it. It might seem counterintuitive, but a calmer approach is not just healthier, it’s more productive.
I studied martial arts for a few years, this helped me get a grip on how this dynamic plays out.
Consider the analogy: When you’re feeling frenetic and panicked, you’re moving without focus or control. It makes you more vulnerable and sloppier. On the flip side, a centered approach means you’re moving with purpose, composure, and precision. You can conserve your energy and execute more efficiently.
From Frazzled to Focused: A Tip to Ditch Panic Mode
For many years, I truly thought that I’d feel calmer and more focused after I got everything done, after I got everything on my to-do list done. And, perhaps you’ve already noticed, this literally never happens. So, I had to redefine my relationship to my habit of panic.
That doesn't mean it's gone. Nope, I still have it. It's ingrained in me. But now it no longer feels fully out of my control. I know how to deal with it.
Here’s how I did it: It starts with simply noticing the physical signs that are there. For me, it started when my coach asked me that great question. Now I can easily notice when those frazzled bees are whizzing around my brain.
And then it’s time to call out the underlying concern you’re having. For me, it’s often something like:
“I have to hurry; I don’t have enough time.”
Which, let’s face it, I don’t think that helps make anyone feel any better or more productive to think that thought. That thought, whether it’s true or not, just makes me feel panicked, disempowered, and somewhat resigned. And things take how long they take.
Whatever it is, once you know what your most concerning thought is, you can try to have a better, more useful thought.
I don’t mean, like 100% better to something unrealistic, like: “All of this is a piece of cake!” That’s just silly.
No, it’s got to be maybe 10% better and higher up, something like:
“I’m having the thought that I have to hurry,”
...which helps me realize that it’s just a thought and not necessarily true. Or maybe:
“Ah, there it is, my old habit of panic!”
Which kind me makes me laugh a little bit and dials down the significance to a manageable level.
Whatever it is, it should be a thought that gives you a bit more agency. It sheds light on a fresh approach and opens the door to better ideas and maybe even a solution. Even on the hardest days, you can aim to do just 10% better, right?
If you want to learn more about how to train yourself to have better thoughts, go check out episode 23, “How Operations Execs Drive Success One Thought at a Time.” You’ll find it at yourfuturerealized.com/23.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this question today: Picture yourself operating with 10% greater calm and focus. How would that influence your approach and your effectiveness?
Know that I am over here in your corner, cheering you on while you try it.
You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.