Dealing with (Un)Certainty
by iveta.svirakova@ · 24 things on Twos
- Humans are not willing to give up an unhelpful action/habit to make room for a new thing, because
- The brain craves predictability – even small unknowns can create stress.
- Lack of certainty triggers threat responses – This can reduce cognitive performance.
- Providing clarity increases engagement – Clear expectations, structured plans, and transparency help us feel safe and motivated
- → Create Micro-Certainties in an Uncertain World
- While big change is unpredictable, small certainties help ground people.
- What can you do to make someone else feels more certain so they relax and take up less of your time checking for certainty…?
- consistent meeting cadence,
- clear agenda formats,
- reliable follow-ups
- First Aid for Overwhelm
- The "5-4-3-2-1" Grounding Method (90 seconds) – Notice:
- 5 things you see
- 4 things you touch
- 3 things you hear
- 2 things you smell
- 1 thing you taste
- The "One-Minute Reset“ – When overwhelmed, pause and ask:
- What is the next small step I can take?
- Then, just do that one step.
- The Brain Dump & Categorize Method – Write down everything on your mind (work, personal, big, small) & sort into 3 lists
- Do Now (urgent, high impact)
- Schedule (important but not urgent)
- Let Go (low impact): delegate, or delete