How Tim Ferriss' Fear-setting exercise will help you take action
I've been thinking about launching a newsletter about morning routines for almost four years. I've procrastinated a lot, for lack of time but above all, if I'm honest with myself, out of fear. Can I really do it? What if no one cares? Who do I think I am?... You know the drill. As a result, I've spent almost four years dreaming of this newsletter, while finding very good excuses not to launch it.
Then I came across an exercise that helped me unblock the situation, and that's what I'm going to share in this post.
This exercise, inspired by stoicism, was created by American entrepreneur Tim Ferris and author of The 4-hour Workweek.
He mentions the fear-setting exercise in his 2017 TED Talk.
It requires three pages and consists of three steps:
PAGE 1 - STEP 1
On the first page, draw three columns:
- Define
Think of a decision that scares you.
List 10 to 20 things that could go wrong if you take action. Be specific. For example: "What if I launch this newsletter, I put a lot of time and energy into it, and nobody reads it?
2. Prevent
Think about what you can do to avoid or limit the probability of your various disaster scenarios occurring.
For example:
I can set aside two hours a week to write it.
I can promote my newsletter to my network and on social media to get my first readers
- Repair
Imagine what you could do if the worst-case scenario you imagined happened.
Example:
“If after six months I still don't have any readers, I can always stop everything. I'll be a little disappointed, but I'll get over it!”
“If I'm struggling to send out one newsletter a week, I can always cut back to two a month.”
The idea is to take a step back and play down the decision, and find simple solutions to problems that seem insurmountable. Chances are, other people have done it successfully before you, so there's no reason why it can't work! And if it doesn't, most of the time, the consequences are not as disastrous as we imagine they will be.
PAGE 2 - STEP 2
On the second page, ask yourself:
What benefits could I gain if I try, even if I'm only partially successful?
Example:
“If I launch this newsletter, I'll be able to help my readers even if I don't have many, it'll help me work on my writing, I'll gain experience in content creation, I'll be proud of myself for daring to do it.”
PAGE 3 - STEP 3
Finally, on the third page, ask yourself what the cost of your inaction will be.
In six months, a year, three years and more, what state will you be in (emotionally, physically, financially...) if you don't make the decision today?
For example: “If I don't launch this newsletter, I'll feel frustrated, I'll feel like I'm missing out on something, I'll feel like a failure, I'll blame myself for not trying.
For me, it was this last question, in particular, that triggered my decision to just start. When I realized that the cost of my inaction was far too high in relation to my fear of failure. If I try and it doesn't work, I'll still be proud of myself. If I don't try, I'll blame myself forever. When it's written down in black and white on a piece of paper, the decision becomes obvious.
I guess you could say that thanks to Tim Ferris, you are able to read this post today 🙂
Now it's your turn: grab your best notebook, think of a decision that scares you, and get started.
Good luck!