Today, I messed around with a simple idea: “if it is wrong, do not think it.” Sounds easy, right? But it’s trickier than it seems. I decided to put this into practice and see how it actually works in real life.
The Start
I started my day like any other. Made coffee, checked emails, the usual stuff. Then I remembered my little experiment. The first thing that popped into my head was a deadline I was already stressing about.
The Process
Normally, I’d dwell on the deadline, getting all worked up. This time, I thought, “Is this worry helping me?”. Of course it is wrong, this worry feeling makes my heart beat so fast, it’s not cool! So, according to my rule, I stopped thinking about it. I just… stopped. I focused on the task itself, breaking it down into smaller, manageable steps.
- First, I listed all the things I needed to do. No judging, just listing.
- Then, I picked the easiest one to get some momentum.
- I worked on that one thing, ignoring everything else.
It felt weird at first. Like I was ignoring something important. But the more I focused on the actual work, the less I thought about the scary deadline. I just kept doing the next small thing.
The “Wrong” Thoughts
It wasn’t just about work, though. Throughout the day, little negative thoughts popped up. “That guy cut me off in traffic!” “This coffee is cold.” “I’ll never finish this project.” Each time, I asked myself, “Is this thought helping?” If not, I tried to let it go.
Some thoughts were hard. Like when I made a mistake on the project. My first instinct was to beat myself up. But, “Is that helpful?” Nope. So, I acknowledged the mistake, figured out how to fix it, and moved on. No drama.
The Result
Honestly, it was a surprisingly productive day. And a lot less stressful. By not dwelling on the “wrong” thoughts – the unhelpful, negative ones – I freed up a lot of mental energy. I actually got more done, and I felt way better at the end of the day.
It’s not a perfect system, of course. It takes practice. But it’s a pretty good reminder that we have more control over our thoughts than we think. And sometimes, the best thing to do with a bad thought is to just… not think it.
