Scheduled Worry Time: A CBT Technique for Managing Anxiety and Overthinking
Scheduled Worry Time is a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) skill that gives worry a planned place to go instead of letting it spread across the whole day. Instead of trying to suppress worries or solve every concern immediately, you briefly write the worry down, remind yourself that you will return to it later, and postpone deeper engagement until a specific time (Borkovec et al., 1983; McGowan & Behar, 2013).
Worry often becomes stronger when it feels urgent, unlimited, and available at any time. Scheduled Worry Time helps interrupt that pattern by teaching the brain that worries can be noticed without being obeyed immediately. Peer-reviewed research on worry postponement has demonstrated reductions in daily worry and subjective health complaints (Dippel et al., 2024; Versluis et al., 2016).
Guided Practice
(optional)
Choose a consistent 15-30 minute worry period (preferably not right before bed). When a worry appears outside that time, write down a short phrase that captures it. Then tell yourself, “I have noticed this worry, and I will return to it during my worry time.” During the scheduled period, review the list. Some worries may need problem-solving, some may need acceptance, and some may no longer feel as urgent by the time you return to them.
Scheduled Worry Time works best when the practice is simple enough to repeat. Use a small notebook, phone note, or index card to collect worries during the day. Keep the wording brief so the note does not turn into rumination. If a worry involves a real task, write down the task separately and decide when to act on it. If the worry is about something uncertain, unsolvable, or outside your control, the scheduled period can become a place to practice naming the concern without letting it take over the day.
Note
Scheduled Worry Time is not the same as avoiding responsibilities or ignoring real problems. If something requires immediate action, safety planning, medical care, or a time-sensitive decision, address it directly. The purpose of this practice is to postpone repetitive worry, not urgent care. If worry feels uncontrollable, severe, or connected to panic, trauma, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, or crisis concerns, this skill may be most useful with support from a trained professional.
References
Borkovec, T. D., Wilkinson, L., Folensbee, R., & Lerman, C. (1983). Stimulus control applications to the treatment of worry. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21(3), 247-251. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(83)90206-1
Dippel, A., Brosschot, J. F., & Verkuil, B. (2024). Effects of worry postponement on daily worry: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 17(1), 160-178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41811-023-00193-x
Krzikalla, C., Buhlmann, U., Schug, J., Kopei, I., Gerlach, A. L., Doebler, P., Morina, N., & Andor, T. (2024). Worry postponement from the metacognitive perspective: A randomized waitlist-controlled trial. Clinical Psychology in Europe, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.32872/cpe.12741
McGowan, S. K., & Behar, E. (2013). A preliminary investigation of stimulus control training for worry: Effects on anxiety and insomnia. Behavior Modification, 37(1), 90-112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445512455661
Versluis, A., Verkuil, B., & Brosschot, J. F. (2016). Reducing worry and subjective health complaints: A randomized trial of an internet-delivered worry postponement intervention. British Journal of Health Psychology, 21(2), 318-335. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12170
