Act on the thing causing stress
Make the first call or send the first email on whatever is nagging at you
Stress, on this view, mostly comes from not acting on something you could act on. So when the feeling shows up, it gets treated as a flag that some problem has been noticed but not yet addressed. The response is to name it and take the smallest first step, a phone call or an email, even though that step will not solve anything by itself. People who use this report that the stress drops as soon as the thing is in motion, and that hard work by itself was never the cause.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Jeff BezosDoes it
Amazon and Blue Origin founder · Six-page memos and eight hours of sleep
Treats stress as a warning flag that something has been noticed but not acted on. As soon as he identifies it and makes the first phone call or sends the first email, he says the stress drops sharply, even before the problem is solved.
Source: Academy of Achievement: Jeff Bezos interview, 2001 (transcript)“Stress primarily comes from not taking action over something that you can have some control over. … you can be working incredibly hard and loving it”
Academy of Achievement: Jeff Bezos interview, 2001 (transcript) (opens in a new tab) · 4 May 2001
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under stress or productivity.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Journaling
Writing to unload the mind, usually first thing or last thing
On record from 14 of 62 tracked people: 13 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Deliberate discomfort
Choosing the thing you do not want to do, daily, as its own training
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
A high savings rate
Bank a large share of income by spending well below what the income allows
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Accountability mirror
Telling yourself the blunt truth in the mirror every day, then fixing it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Asking for help
Four words, can you help me, used on purpose rather than as a last resort
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Extended sabbatical
A month or more entirely off work, announced well in advance
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.