I woke up this morning with a crushing sense of DREAD…

But this wasn’t me worrying about how much the recent UK budget is going to cost me and my business (though that’s bad enough!).

Or the depressing global conflicts.

Or the rise of right wing populism.

Or the perilous state of the environment or climate change.

Nope. I can handle all of those and they don’t dominate my thoughts.

You see, every month, without fail, I go through the same ridiculous emotional rollercoaster because a deadline is looming.

As a publisher, my job is to regularly deliver great content and training that genuinely helps people.

I’ve done it for more than 30 years.

And yes, of course I know what I’m doing.

I mean I’ve delivered thousands of sales letters, lessons, courses, newsletters (like WRMM), modules, and tutorials.

And yet the same thing ALWAYS happens…

And this might be something that you recognise in your own life.

There’s a moment – usually right before I sit down to begin the next project – where you get hit by a sudden, irrational, almost existential fear.

It starts with a little negative voice that pops up inside and asks:

“What if this time you can’t do it?”

“What if you’ve forgotten how?”

“What if you are past it?”

“What if the people realise you’re not as good as they thought?”

It’s textbook IMPOSTER SYNDROME.

After three decades of proof to the contrary, you’d think I’d be immune.

But no – it still happens. Regular as clockwork.

And because I care so much about my audience – the people like you who will actually consume the training or read my newsletters – this pressure never really goes away.

It appears every single time.

I want to deliver something genuinely useful, something that moves the needle for you. And ironically, that desire to help increases the emotional weight and makes the starting point feel heavier.

If you’ve ever felt this when working on your projects, please know this:

You are absolutely not alone! 😉

Even seasoned professionals get “The Fear.”

The only difference is… we’ve learned how to get past it.

So today, I want to share the exact tactics I use to quickly get myself over the initial hump – and that you can use too, no matter what project you’re doing.

What is ‘The Fear’?

Let’s put this into some perspective.

When you tackle a new or recurring project – especially one that matters – your brain does something predictable: it MAGNIFIES the task, blurs the boundaries, and makes it feel like a massive, amorphous cloud.

Here’s why:

• Your brain hates undefined tasks
• Ambiguity creates cognitive overload
• Big projects trigger a threat response (“danger: unknown!”)
• Your imagination inflates the challenge

The result is overwhelm, procrastination, or frantic “busywork” that feels productive but isn’t.

You see, this overwhelm has nothing to do with your lack of skills or experience.

It all comes down to CLARITY.

I’m not overwhelmed because I don’t know how to deliver high-quality training. I’m overwhelmed because my brain is staring at a swirl of ideas, outcomes, responsibilities, decisions, and possibilities – all at the same time.

The good news is that once you recognise this is a problem of perception, you can interrupt it.

7 Proven Quick Hacks to Tame The Fear

So here are the practical, real-world tactics I use to shrink the “monster in the mind” and get stuff done – without the dark thoughts and self doubt.

These work for writers, creators, business owners, students – anyone who needs to produce something meaningful.

1. The “10-Minute De-Freeze”

To break procrastination, I commit to just 10 minutes, but not the whole project.

I set a timer and set myself a micro challenge: Just open the document and write the first messy paragraph. That’s it.”

Nine times out of ten, the dread evaporates once I’m moving.

2. Define “Done” In One Sentence

This is transformative.

Most overwhelm comes from not knowing what “finished” looks like.

So before anything else, I write:

“Done = A 45-minute training session that shows people how to X, helps them achieve Y, and gives them Z tools.”

This can lift the fog and give my brain something to aim for.

Try this for your own project. Define “done” in one single, simple sentence.

3. Break the Project Into Pebbles, Not Boulders

Your brain can’t handle a big project.

So I break my monthly training into tiny, winnable tasks like:

• Draft the outline
• Write section 1
• Research examples
• Add exercises
• Record intro
• Upload to platform
• Write announcement email

Each item is so small that it feels almost impossible not to complete.

This technique alone has saved me more emotional turmoil than anything else.

4. Use Parkinson’s Law To Your Advantage

Work expands to fill the time available, unless you shrink the time.

So I give myself tight micro deadlines like:

• “25 minutes to write an outline.”
• “15 minutes to create 3 examples.”
• “One hour to record the first draft.”

I find shorter deadlines actually reduce anxiety because they turn the task into a short sprint instead of some drawn out marathon.

5. The “Single Tab Rule”

Like many people, I get easily distracted, especially when I am working on something that requires sustained focus.

My brain will always seek easy alternatives – checking my emails, reading the latest news headlines or watching a YouTube video.

To combat this I have a strict rule when I need to be productive.

One tab open. One file open. One task visible.

Multi-tab thinking is a focus killer.

When the brain sees 18 possibilities, it sees 18 potential problems.

When it sees one document, it sees one action and reduces cognitive overload.

6. The 3-Task Momentum Stack

If I really can’t face the mountain, I stack three tasks:

1. Minute One: Something tiny (open the file, add the title).

2. Minutes Ten: Something moderate (write the outline).

3. Minutes Thirty: Something meaningful (draft the first section).

The tiny task breaks resistance.

The moderate task builds rhythm.

The meaningful task delivers satisfaction of an important task ticked off.

7. Remove the Decision-Making Load

Overwhelm is often just decision fatigue in disguise.

So the night before, I decide:

• What’s the first thing I’ll work on?
• For how long?
• Where will I start?

When morning comes, there’s no internal negotiation. I simply follow instructions I wrote when I was calm. That one habit has shaved hours off my creative time.

Accept The Reality of Big Projects

One of the most liberating things I’ve learned is this:

Feeling overwhelmed doesn’t mean you’re unqualified or incapable.

It’s a normal human reaction.

People who care deeply about their work always feel a wobble at the start. High standards create emotional turbulence – and that’s OK.

But once you get to know and accept your own behavioural patterns, you can stop fearing the fear.

You begin to recognise:

• “Ah, this is just the usual pre-project storm.”
• “It always looks bigger before I begin.”
• “Once I take the first step, it shrinks.”
• “I’ve done this a thousand times – I know how to steer myself through it.”

Imagine how empowering this could be – to realise overwhelm is not a sign that you’re out of your depth, but simply the natural response to a project that has value.

The Way Out Is Always Through Action

If you’re reading this and currently stuck, paralysed, or overwhelmed by a project – here is what I want you to take away today:

You don’t need to feel ready.

You only need the next tiny step.

The moment you take that step the fear loosens, the fog lifts, the brain calms and momentum takes over.

I still experience this every month.

And every month, I work through it and deliver the training anyway.

Not because I’m special.

But because I’ve learned that progress is a series of micro-steps.

And you can do the same.

Start small.

Define “done.”

Shrink the task.

Set a timer.

Open one tab.

And begin.

Remember, you are definitely not alone in this.

Everyone who builds something meaningful experiences something similar.

But the moment you take action – even in the smallest way – you’re beating The Fear.