The following is an adaptation from Tim Ferriss' book, "Tribe of Mentors."He writes that lack of focus and feeling overwhelmed can destroy efficiency and productivity.He reached out to 100 leaders, investors, authors, and thinkers to ask themabout the questions they use to check in with themselves when they feel overwhelmed.Some of the questions are: "What do you need now to feel happy'" "Is it in your power to make a difference right now," and, "Will worrying help you'"I have a never-ending impulse to procrastinate, nap, and otherwise fritter away my days with trivialities.If I have ten important things to do in a day, it's nearly guaranteed nothing important will get done that day. My focus it pulled in too many directions. The weight of having so much on my plate feels overwhelming.Those two thingslack of focus and a feeling of being overwhelmedare killers when it comes to being efficient and productive.As a means to squaring my to-do list with my penchant for procrastination, I've begun asking myself two questions about each thing I need to do:"If this were the only thing I accomplished today, would I be satisfied with my day'""Will moving this forward make all the other to-dos unimportant or easier to knock off later'"These questions are vital to how I prioritize my life, focus my energy, and ultimately accomplish important tasks.But the reality, there are people out there who know much better than I do what questions to ask when you're feeling overwhelmed and unfocusedleaders, investors, authors and brilliant thinkers who have spent a career (and in some cases a lifetime) honing this skill.Because I craved that knowledge, I reached out to over 100 of these people, folks I consider my 'Tribe of Mentors', to ask them what they ask themselves in moments when they're feeling unfocused and overwhelmed.SEE ALSO:15 incredibly successful people who never graduated from college'What do you need right now in order to be happy''When we're feeling overwhelmed, we tend to take our eye off the ball. And when you take your eye off the ball, you're going to swing and miss every single time. In other words, if your endgame is happiness then you must remain cognizant of that at all times and be thinking of how you can achieve that goal. Sharon Salzberg, the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society and aNew York Timesbestselling author sums it up like this:"I stop and ask myself, 'What do you need right now in order to be happy' Do you need anything other than what is happening right now in order to be happy'' That orients me right away toward what I care about. I also try to remember to breathe. Ive seen that if I feel overwhelmed, I freeze, and my breath gets quite shallow. 'Just breathe' is also something I say to myself if I feel chaotic. Or I shift my attention to feel my feet against the ground. Mostly we tend to think of our consciousness residing up in our heads, behind our eyes. What Ive learned I have to do is start by gently bringing my energy down, so Im feeling my feet from my feet. Try it!"'What would be the worst thing if the outcome doesn't go the way you want''Taking into account all of the ways any given scenario could play out is one of the most crucial things to consider. It helps eliminate your blind spots. And envisioning your worst case scenario actually happening is perhaps the most important scenario of all to think through. Graham Duncan, who co-founded East Rock Capital, an investment firm that manages $2 billion for a small number of families and their charitable foundations told me:"I ask myself 'what would be the worst thing' about that outcome not going the way I want' I had started using it out loud with my kids, and recently my eight-year-old daughter started asking it back to me. I really like to be punctual. We were late to drop her at school and I was impatient, so she asked me, 'Dad, what exactly would be the worst thing about being late'' It completely shifted my mindset in the moment. I like the question because it often surfaces a hidden assumption."Esther Dyson, an active angel investor, best-selling author, board member, and advisor concentrating on emerging markets and technologies, asks a herself similar, outcome-based question:"[When Im] overwhelmed: Ask, 'What is the worst thing that could happen'' Fear of the unknown is generally far worse than fear of something specific. If it's not the death of yourself or those you are responsible for, there's probably some reasonable set of options you should consider calmly and thoughtfully."'What does this feeling feel like as a bodily sensation, right now''Leo Babauta is the founder ofZen Habits, a website dedicated to finding simplicity and mindfulness in the daily chaos of our lives. When I asked Leo what he does when he feels overwhelmed I was stunned by how profound yet practical his response was:"I drop into my breath and the sensations Im feeling in my body. When I feel overwhelmed, I ask myself, 'What does this feeling feel like as a bodily sensation, right now'' Not a narrative about my feeling, but actual sensations in my body. I try to stay with those sensations for as long as possible and be curious about and open to them. This works with fear, distraction, procrastination, frustration, and more. Once I've meditated on this, I ask myself, 'Whats the most loving thing I can do for myself and others right now'' Then I get to it."See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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