It’s Time To Talk About Time Anxiety

It’s officially September, which means this talk is right on time—especially if you’re locking in, or you’re one of the girlies who listens to me on 2x speed. I don’t know how you do that, but honestly, I’m also you.

Today, I’m talking about time anxiety. What I’ll share are my biggest takeaways, thoughts, and the things I’m trying based on the book.

Time anxiety isn’t a new concept for me. I’ll link the book in the show notes if you want to buy it. If you loved my episode where I reviewed 10X is Easier Than 2X, that was actually one of my most popular episodes. If you like this episode and haven’t listened to that one yet, definitely check it out after.

Anyway, the point is: we’re going to talk about the book Time Anxiety. We’re going to talk about why we all experience it, and you’re probably going to be raising your hand like I was, thinking, “Oh my gosh, I needed these tips.”

So, let’s get into it.

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So before we get started, I just want you to take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders. It’s going to be okay.

What is Time Anxiety?

Let’s talk about time anxiety. What is it? It really comes down to two things.

First, it’s an obsession with productivity tips and efficiency—but never actually feeling better. You’re not sure if you’re doing the right things. You know you’re doing a lot, but you keep wondering if you’re really making the most of your time.

The second part of time anxiety is stressing over how you’re going to spend your time—or feeling like you never have enough time for everything you want to do. Spoiler alert: there will never be enough time for everything. That’s one thing the book says so well. No matter how productive you are, no matter how well things work out, no matter how hard you work—you will never have enough time to do all the things you want to do. So again, take a deep breath and stay with me.

Basically, the heart of the problem is that we all want to do more of what matters, but sometimes we don’t know what that really is—or how to make it happen. One of the traps the author talks about really resonated with me, especially now as a mom: time feels like it’s flying. You hear people say, “The days are long but the years are short.” But honestly? For me it feels like both the days and the years are short.

And that rush can lead to catastrophic, all-or-nothing thinking. Like: if you can’t do everything perfectly, what’s the point of doing anything at all? Well, here are 3 things you can do right now.

1. Declutter Your Time

Right off the bat, one of the first suggestions in the book is to think about your time, or your calendar, like you would a home organization project. Think about Marie Kondo: if it doesn’t spark joy, get rid of it. Look at your calendar right now. Even if you’re listening to this on a hot girl walk or in your car, mentally cross off one or two things. Do the same with your to-do list. Just get rid of a couple of things.

The author calls this “time decluttering,” which I think is such a smart way to frame it. Because when we think of clutter

It feels very… neutral, almost. Like there’s no emotion attached to it. It’s just: yeah, I have too much on my to-do list, I should probably get rid of some things.

2. Build More Buffer Time To Account For Time Blindness

The book also talks about time-blindness—how we’re almost always wrong about how much time things will take. We either way overestimate or way underestimate. Sometimes we build up a task in our heads for weeks, and then once we finally sit down, it takes three minutes. Other times, we underestimate and end up constantly running late.

One suggestion was to start aiming to be 10–15 minutes early, and actually enjoy being early. Carry a book, look forward to the buffer time, enjoy the calm before whatever you’re doing. That mindset shift stuck with me.

It reminded me of something else I’d heard—maybe in a podcast, maybe a book—about how we try to make everyone happy and end up making no one happy. The example was: let’s say you have a bachelorette party on Friday night and then a bridal shower the next morning in another city. You go to part of the bachelorette but leave early, and everyone’s like, “Why did you even bother coming?” Then you show up to the shower tired because you stretched yourself too thin. Nobody’s really happy, including you.

That is so me. I’ve tried to plan multiple things back-to-back, thinking I can make it all work. But if one thing goes wrong, I’m suddenly late, stressed, and my whole day is thrown off because I never leave any margin. That’s part of the problem: running late, cutting things too close, and not giving yourself space to breathe.

3. Create Your “To-Dread” List And Batch Those Tasks

And then there’s this other angle—it wasn’t in the book, but it came to mind. Have you seen that TikTok trend where the girl says, super monotone, “How long did it actually take?” She’ll share that she’s been putting something off for a year and a half, and it took 37 minutes. We all have tasks like that.

I even saw a viral post about friends throwing “procrastination parties,” where they get together and knock out the things they’ve all been avoiding—opening a new bank account, booking flights, whatever. In the book, these are called “to-dread” list items.

The advice? Batch them. Group those dreaded tasks together and power through in one chunk of time. It’s such a smart reframe, because those nagging tasks are psychologically expensive. They drain your energy just by sitting on your list.

So maybe one or two things came to mind for you just now—things you’ve been putting off even though they won’t take long. Maybe it’s calling the bank. Reconciling your bookkeeping. Catching up on texts or DMs. (Oh my gosh, DMs… that one hit me too.) Maybe it’s updating the meta titles and descriptions on your website because you’re finally prioritizing SEO.

Whatever it is, batch it, and get it done in one afternoon or evening this week.

I also really like the idea of calling it a “to-dread list.” In the book, he talks about how naming it for what it is actually makes it easier. When we admit, yes, I’m dreading this, it takes some of the weight away. It’s so much easier than staying stuck in that “why do I keep avoiding this?” loop.

So, if the phrase time anxiety instantly hits home for you—if you’re like, “ugh, I hate that”—here are three things you can do right now:

1. Declutter your time. Look at your calendar and get rid of one or two things. It doesn’t have to be canceling on friends (though maybe it is for you). I do believe we need to be good villagers and not always bail on people—that’s a topic for another day. But it could be something small, like deciding, I’m not folding laundry this week. Whatever it is, give yourself permission to clear space.
2. Give yourself more margin. Plan to be 10–15 minutes early this week. Build in buffer time and actually enjoy it.
3. Make a to-dread list. Write down the tasks you’ve been avoiding and put them on your schedule for sometime in the next week. Batch them, and just get them done.

Three simple steps to start easing time anxiety today.

4 Things You Can Do Moving Forward

Because here’s what happens: we overschedule, then we fall behind, and then next week is even more packed. It becomes this never-ending cycle of time anxiety. So how do we move forward and stop creating that loop? Here are four things.

1. Try to touch things once.

This is something I’ve been practicing, and I can honestly say it works. The idea is: if you start something, finish it.

If I open an email, I try to deal with it right then instead of leaving it sitting in my inbox. If I start the laundry, I finish the laundry. If I check my ClickUp, I don’t keep it open all day with notifications pinging me—I check it once in the morning, write down what needs to get done, and then close it. Otherwise I get stuck overthinking the order of tasks when really, I just need to knock out my five priorities for the day.

It doesn’t mean everything has to be completed in the moment. With email, for example, “touch it once” could look like replying with, Hey, I’m slammed, but I’ll review this next week. That way, it’s acknowledged, and you’re not carrying it around in your head.

That closes the mental loop—just responding, even if it’s quick, takes the weight off. So if someone reaches out for a podcast interview, or asks for your bio, or needs you to check something for the bank, whatever it is, try to handle it the moment you open it. Touch it once. Deal with it as best you can and move on.

2. Stop finishing everything.

This one blew my mind, and I’ve been trying to put it into practice—though it’s harder than I thought. The idea is simple: stop forcing yourself to finish things you’re not enjoying or that aren’t serving you.

Walk out of the movie that’s boring. Stop reading the book that isn’t grabbing you. Quit the class you don’t care about. Don’t feel this compulsive need to finish everything.

The author also ties this into another point: not everything needs to be done with excellence. And that hit me hard, because so many of us (hello, Enneagram Threes) feel like everything has to be perfect. But it doesn’t.

Client work? Yes—do that with excellence. But mowing the lawn doesn’t have to be a 10/10 effort every single week. Laundry doesn’t have to happen every seven days like clockwork—maybe every 10 days is fine. Not everything deserves your very best energy all of the time.

And it’s not just about chores. For me, a big one is showing up on Instagram Stories. I tell myself it has to be great content, so I end up not showing up at all. Meanwhile, the people who are really doing well? They’re showing up consistently, even if it’s not perfect.

Sometimes “done” really is better than “excellent.”

3. Remember—you’re going to die one day.

Okay, this sounds a little dramatic, but hear me out. The author frames it this way: when you’re deciding whether to do something, ask yourself, “Do I really want to spend my one precious life on this?”

Do you want to contribute to that summit? Maybe the honest answer is, “Sorry, I can’t—I’m going to die one day.” Do you want to take that vacation or see that movie? Maybe yes, because it matters to you. But the point is to ground yourself in the reality that time is finite.

And it’s not about creating stress or trying to squeeze meaning out of every second—that’s impossible, and we’ve already acknowledged you’ll never get everything done. Instead, it’s about clarity. Remembering once a day that you are going to die isn’t morbid; it’s freeing. It gives you permission to let go of what doesn’t matter.

It actually reminds me of this funny story: I was at a campfire with friends, and one girl was just going on and on, not reading the room at all. It was freezing, and eventually I turned to my friend and said, “You know what, I’m calling it quits, I’m heading home.” Someone told me to stay, and I just said, “Sorry, I can’t—I love myself.”

They thought I meant it about the girl who wouldn’t stop talking, but really it was about the weather. Still, it was funny and true. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is say no.

That’s what this practice is about: taking care of yourself, not overbooking, not running yourself ragged, not living like a stressed-out potato. Sometimes the answer really is: Sorry, I can’t. I’m going to die one day.

4. Pay yourself first—with your time.

We’ve all heard this phrase when it comes to money, but the author reframes it for time. Instead of looking at your obligations first, put the things you actually want on your calendar first. Protect that time.

One exercise he suggests is imagining you had an eighth day in the week. What would you do with it? Whatever comes to mind is probably what’s missing in your current schedule. I thought that was so smart.

Because for me, I don’t want to rearrange my whole life just to watch more TV at night. I love TV, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not the goal. Paying yourself first with time is about making space for the things that really matter—not just squeezing in more “relaxing” after an exhausting week.

This also reminded me of the book Die with Zero, which is all about living fully and not hoarding resources until it’s too late. The author argues it’s better to give money to your kids at moments when it’s most impactful—say, $10,000 for college, $30,000 for a down payment, $20,000 when they have their first baby—rather than saving it all and leaving them $100,000 when they’re already 65. The gift matters more earlier.

And I think the same principle applies to time. Why squirrel it away for “someday” when you could use it now, while it has the most impact on your happiness and relationships?

Yes, we all have obligations. And no, I’m not the “work four hours a week and make millions” type—I will always tell you building a business requires work. But within that reality, paying yourself first with time is about claiming the pieces of your life that actually make it yours. tweak to start gamifying your habits, but it works for me—maybe it’ll work for you too. And in case you can’t tell, I really believe in gamifying your habits so find rules that work for you and just try!

Quick recap of the four moving-forward practices

1. Touch things once. Don’t let tasks linger—deal with them when you open them.
2. Stop finishing everything. Quit the books, shows, or classes that don’t serve you. Not everything needs excellence.
3. Remember you’re going to die one day. Use that truth to say no to what doesn’t matter and yes to what does.
4. Pay yourself first—with your time. Schedule the things you value before everything else.

Bonus idea for tackling time anxiety: Plan for a year, not a day.

The last time anxiety concept I’ll leave you with is this: planning for a year is easier than planning for a day. The author credits Gretchen Rubin—who wrote The Happiness Project—for the phrase, “The days are long but the years are short.” But he flips it. He says the days are short, and the years are long.

Why? Because you can do so much in a year, but very little in a single day. Most of us only have two to three hours of true focus time each day. Sure, we work more than that, but when it comes to deep work, that’s your cap. And if you feel overwhelmed, zooming out to a year makes it easier to see progress and make plans that matter.

He also points out that we need to balance dreaming and doing. Some of us are natural dreamers—we know where we want to go but get stuck on execution. Others (and I relate to this camp) are natural doers—we’re constantly checking things off, but we don’t always stop to ask, Where is my life going? What am I building toward? Both sides can feed into time anxiety.

So, as we move into fall and the last four months of the year, I think this perspective is especially timely. A lot of us are “locking in,” as the TikTok girlies say, trying to get as much done as possible. And with that comes the pressure of time: Only four months left! I wanted to do so much this year! My to-do list keeps getting longer!

That feeling is normal for high achievers, but I hope the strategies I shared—decluttering your time, touching things once, letting go of finishing everything, remembering your time is finite, and paying yourself first—help ease some of that anxiety.

I’d love to hear from you: what was your biggest takeaway, or which practice are you going to try? Send me a DM on Instagram—I’ll chat with you next week.

LINKS MENTIONED

• Learn more about working with our marketing agency here
• Grab the book Time Anxiety
• Listen to episode 46 (10X is Easier Than 2X)
• Check out Die With Zero
• Join Blogging for Bingeable Brands (Use Code PODCAST20 for 20% Off!)
• Follow me on Instagram