Checklist for Overcoming Nervousness

It’s important to remember that everyone gets nervous. We all know the stresses of starting a new job, making a big move or having to speak at an important meeting. While a little bit of nervousness is fine, sometimes it can seriously keep you from being your best.

Here are a few ways to overcome your nerves and get back on track:

Talk It Over – I recently had my very first book signing for Listful Thinking. A couple days before I found myself getting a bit nervous and panicked. I started hoping that no one would show. I spoke it over with my interns and they helped me calm down. I realized I was just really excited and once I relaxed I was able to enjoy the event. Talking things out with friends or family is a great way to put things in perspective and really work out the butterflies in advance.

Be Prepared – I believe in always having a plan B. The more you can minimize potential problems the less nervous you feel. If you have a big meeting or a job interview coming up you could do your homework so you won’t feel put on the spot. Go over all the possible scenarios and plan ahead for how you’ll react or what answers you might give. This extra work upfront pays off in the end.

Be Realistic – When nerves are building, sometimes the best thing to do is take a step back. The reality is probably not as bad as you think. Remember that people aren’t paying as much attention to you as you think. Take a quick walk around the block and you might find you were just making a mountain out of a molehill.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep – Having a full night’s sleep is so important for helping you feel relaxed. But it’s much easier said than done. If you have an important interview you could try to be really active the day before. That way you’re all tired out, which should help you get to bed earlier.

Visualize a Positive Outcome – Sit for a few minutes and think about all the best possible outcomes.  Close your eyes and really place yourself there.  What would it feel like, sound like, smell like?  Take yourself to that happy place and you’ll be so much more likely to actually get there.

How do you deal with nervousness?

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My new book about lists, Listful Thinking: Using Lists to be More Productive, Highly Successful and Less Stressed recently hit the shelves!  The power of a simple list is pretty amazing.  It makes you feel more in control of every aspect of your life and makes you a better version of yourself.  I know, because it's worked for me! 

Oh and some really successful and organized authors like David Allen, Julie Morgenstern and Gretchen Rubin have endorsed the book too! 

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Paula Rizzo is an Emmy award winning television producer and founder of the productivity site ListProducer.com.  She's also the author of Listful Thinking: Using Lists to be More Productive, Highly Successful and Less Stressed.  Follow her on Twitter and Facebook and get a free chapter of her book by signing up here.