When negotiating or problem solving, you can explore other possibilities by saying, “Let’s proceed as if I agree to this demand or take your proposed course of action. How could that be beneficial for me, or what would happen as a result?” If a key stakeholder’s input is missing, you may pose the question: “Let’s act as if Sue is present. What might she suggest?”

By adopting this mindset, you can approach situations with an open mind and consider all possible outcomes before making a decision.

For project planning, you can reverse engineer things by being as if the project has been successfully completed and then ask what steps were necessary to reach this outcome. This approach may highlight some important information that is not obvious when planning from the present. By starting with the end goal in mind, you can create a clear roadmap for achieving success.

The ‘Be As If’ frame of mind can be applied to time management. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and stressed about a lack of time, you can ‘be as if’ you have plenty of time or even nothing to do, and attend to your activities in a relaxed but focused way. By adopting this mindset, you can increase your productivity, accomplish more in less time and reduce stress levels.

This is the one that I use the most - because everything flows from your state - and if you are in a mindset of being ‘time-poor’, your outputs will suffer. I find this technique quite remarkable because as I do this, I find I get more done in less time and end up feeling less stressed.