What You Call Anxiety Might Just Be Too Many Goals
I was on a coaching call recently when a high-performing entrepreneur said something that made me stop mid-conversation.
“I think I’m dealing with anxiety about my business decisions. Everything feels overwhelming and I can’t seem to get clarity on what to focus on.”
I’ve heard this exact phrase hundreds of times over the past few years. And every time, my response surprises people:
“I don’t think you have anxiety. I think you have too many goals.”
There’s a pause. Then usually:
“What do you mean?”
The word “anxiety” has become a catch-all bucket for what is usually a much simpler problem. And treating the wrong problem with the wrong solution keeps you stuck.
The Toxic Popularity of “Anxiety”
Don’t get me wrong – real anxiety exists and it’s serious.
But just because a word becomes popular doesn’t mean it’s being used accurately.
What most people describe as “anxiety” is actually something much more specific: uncontrollable negative emotions caused by decision overload.
They’re not having panic attacks or experiencing clinical anxiety. They have a backlog of unmade decisions and too many competing priorities fighting for their attention.
The difference matters because the solutions are completely different.
The 17-Goal Problem
Here’s a conversation I have almost weekly:
Client: “I’m feeling really anxious about my business. I can’t focus and everything feels urgent.”
Me: “Walk me through what you’re currently working on.”
Client: Proceeds to list 12-17 different projects, goals, and initiatives
Me: “There’s your problem. You can’t work on 17 goals simultaneously. It defies human performance.”
This isn’t anxiety. This is trying to sprint in 17 different directions at once and wondering why you feel exhausted and scattered.
Your brain wasn’t designed to hold that many competing priorities. When you try to force it, you get what feels like anxiety but is actually just cognitive overload.
Decision Debt Creates “Anxiety”
A lot of perceived anxiety in high-performers comes from one of two sources:
Source 1: Decision Debt
You have a backlog of decisions you keep avoiding. Each unmade decision creates mental weight that accumulates over time.
Source 2: Aspirational Weight
You have too many goals and dreams competing for the same mental space and resources.
Both create the same feeling: a constant low-level stress that feels like something is always “wrong” or “off.”
There’s nothing wrong with you. You just need to make some decisions and cut some goals.
The Client Who Proved the Point
I had a client who came to me convinced he had developed an anxiety disorder. He was a successful entrepreneur but felt completely overwhelmed by his business decisions.
“I think I need therapy,” he told me. “I can’t stop worrying about everything.”
Instead of recommending therapy, I asked him to list everything he was trying to accomplish in the next 90 days.
The list was 23 items long.
“Pick three,” I said.
“But what about the others?”
“Write them down for later. You can only execute three things well.”
Within two weeks of cutting his focus to three priorities, his “anxiety” disappeared. No therapy needed. No meditation apps. No breathing exercises.
He just stopped trying to do everything at once.
The Clarity vs. Anxiety Test
Here’s how to tell if you’re dealing with real anxiety or decision/goal overload:
Real Anxiety Symptoms:
- Persistent worry even when you have clarity
- Physical symptoms (racing heart, sweating) without clear triggers
- Fear that interferes with decision-making
- Continues even after decisions are made
Decision/Goal Overload Symptoms:
- Feeling overwhelmed when you think about your to-do list
- Constantly switching between priorities
- Difficulty choosing what to work on next
- Relief when someone else makes decisions for you
- Immediate clarity when you eliminate options
If you’re dealing with the second list, you likely don’t need anxiety management. You need decision management.
The 3-Priority Rule
The solution is almost stupidly simple: Cut your active goals to 3, maximum.
Not 3 categories with multiple sub-goals. 3 actual goals.
One client recently implemented this and sent me a message:
“I created a simple system to plan my week around my top three priorities. Most of my time now goes to the highest impact work, and everything else gets attention only if there’s time left over.”
Her result?
“I’m moving so much faster than in my last company. It’s awesome.”
The solution for her was simpler than expected: clarity on what actually matters.
The Weekly Decision Session
Here’s a practical framework to eliminate the decision/goal overwhelm that might be parading as anxiety:
Every Sunday, spend 30 minutes answering these questions:
- What are my three priorities this week? (Not 5, not 10, three)
- What decisions am I avoiding? (List them all)
- Which decisions can I make right now? (Make them)
- Which decisions need more information? (Plan how to get that information)
- What am I saying yes to that I should say no to? (Cut it)
Most people find the feeling they call “anxiety” drops significantly just from this weekly practice.
Before You Assume Anxiety
The mental health industry has done amazing work bringing awareness to anxiety and depression.
But it’s also created a culture where every uncomfortable feeling gets labeled as a disorder.
Sometimes you’re not anxious. You’re just trying to hold too much in your head at once.
Sometimes the solution isn’t complex. You just need to make some decisions.
Sometimes you don’t need new strategies. You need fewer goals.
When Ambition Backfires
Entrepreneurs are especially susceptible to this because we’re trained to see every opportunity. We think having more goals makes us more ambitious.
But ambition without focus is just chaos.
The most successful entrepreneurs I work with are ruthlessly focused. They say no to 95% of opportunities so they can fully capitalize on the 5% that matter most.
The highest performers understand that attention and energy are finite resources.
Your Next Move
If you’ve been telling yourself you have anxiety about your business, try this experiment:
- List everything you’re currently trying to accomplish
- Circle the three that would have the biggest impact
- Put everything else in a “someday/maybe” list
- Spend the next two weeks focusing only on those three
- Notice what happens to your overwhelm
You might discover that what felt like anxiety was actually decision debt and goal overload.
Real anxiety exists and should be treated by professionals. But if this experiment brings you relief, you were dealing with a focus problem, not a mental health issue.
And focus problems? Those you can solve by honoring your cognitive limits.
Clear priorities create calm minds.
Be Bold. Take Action. Leave a Mark.
Todd Herman
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