How many “what ifs” do you have before a presentation?

And how much time do you spend on them?

 

First of all – that’s normal.

 

It’s good, and even necessary, to remember that things can go wrong so you can prepare for those situations.

 

But what if everything goes well?

 

Because if you’re going to spend time thinking about something, why not think about the positive outcomes?

 

There is something you can do to help with that.

 

Allocate 15–30 minutes per day for a small meeting with yourself.
Sit down and write all those “what ifs”.
Then write what would happen if they did – and how you could handle or prevent them.
If those thoughts appear at any other time, remind yourself that you have a scheduled time to deal with them.

 

Over time, you may notice one of two things:
You find solutions to most of your “what ifs” and realize they are not as horrible as they may seem, or you get bored of them.
Both are great because they help you step out of overthinking and free up space for more useful work.

 

And by the way, this works for any “what if” in life – not just the ones connected to presenting.

Because most “what ifs” lose their power once you face them on paper.