How to see things more clearly for what they are?

This morning I finished a piece of client work that had been on my plate all last week. I was reflecting on how the project brief had seemed so difficult and out of my depth, but it was actually much more straightforward than I expected. I realised that what made it seem so hard was not the actual job but my perception of the work. It was clouded by fear, worry and concern.

I’ve experienced this the other way around too. Taking on client projects that I’m super confident and excited about, that seem fairly straight forward, but end up being messy, complex beasts. And because I was so dazzled I didn’t really see what I was signing up for.

These sorts of experiences make me wonder how I can get better at seeing things for what they are. More broadly in life, there are lots of times when I totally miss-perceive things because I’m clouded (either positively or negatively) by excitement, fear, mental health troubles, anger, worry, jealousy, envy, love, desire etc.

There are so many ways to attempt to clear the clouds. Meditation, journaling, talking things through with clients and friends, proper project planning, research etc.

What do you find helps you with this, whether in work or life?