Close your Loops and Free your Brain
My internet feed has been giving lately - especially because I only allow myself one hour to peruse. Team #screenzen
This time of year feels like my brain is on fire.
I'm trying to keep shit on the wheels while surprise KPop demon hunter performances at 3:10pm show up in my calendar. She did great, in case you're curious. Absolutely slayed.
I'm juggling plates between travel, hosting, half-days, parent-teacher conferences, packing lists, holiday lists, secret santa, performance reviews, tax filings, leaf clean-up...
Overwhelmed yet?
Then this came across my feed:
I don't know who to accredit this to - if you do, tell me, they're smart.
This is an invitation. Put some plates down.
Close some loops. Put some plates down.
Rather than white knuckling your way to end of year feeling like you really need to hit some kind of arbitrary goal based on the way our planets rotates and moves around the sun... skip it.
Instead, let's focus on where are the areas that you've been holding something that you don't need to - like the breath that every heroine is holding around the MMC. IYKYK.
10 ideas to close your loops:
2-minute rule. James Clear popularized this one - but, if you have a task that will take less then 2-minutes just do it. That's it. That's the rule!
Visual clutter is mental clutter. @paring_down shares the Zeigarnik affect - waiters can remember what's on a diner's table - up until they've paid the bill and settled up. Because they're quietly holding on to all the details, constantly, until the table was "done." So consider tackling a singular pile (table) - rather than throwing out every single thing in your house. Or do that, if that feels right. Who am I to judge?
Time the task. I hate changing my duvet cover. I get lost in there. Even if I'm doing the inside-out burrito method (Look it up!) I would avoid it. Then, I tried setting a timer, a pump-up jam, and realize it takes less than 7 minutes to change it. If you have some loops that drive you nuts, try timing it and seeing how long they actually take. @christi.newrutzen does this well!
Unsubscribe. Seriously. Unsubscribe from the emails you receive, the shopping opportunities, the newsletters, etc. Pro-tip: if you have gmail with AI turned on click more-> manage subscriptions. Otherwise, the next time an email hits your inbox that doesn't give you joy - UNSUBSCRIBE. (Including this one!)
Mute. The algorithms live on rage and discord. So do we. If you find yourself following someone that makes you feel less-than - you can mute them, unfollow, even hide their posts. They don't even have to know.
Put everything on your calendar, not your to-do list. It's impossible to get everything done - block your calendar a la Kelly Nolan - to actually do the things you're holding in your brain. I.e. I know I have to send party invitations for my demon slayer, but, I actually don't think about it anymore because I put it in my calendar for a few weeks out. 30 minutes to gather emails, and send out the invite. I even have calendar holds to order pizza ahead of time. Now, I don't even think about the task.
Protect your calendar with bankruptcy! Molly Graham says every December, clear out your entire calendar. All the 1x1s, the standing meetings. Delete them. DO it. You won't! Then, instead of continuing on as "we've always done it that way" you get to reset and consider what actually needs to be on your calendar, consistently.
Just get the thing. You know the item, the thing you think will fix everything? Go get it. It likely won't fix everything but at least you'll stop thinking about it. This is how I now finally have a dishwasher-safe ceramic to-go coffee mug that doesn't keep my coffee boiling hot - just how I like it! Yes, it's weird.
Test that service. And for the random tools / memberships / sessions, etc? Try that 7-day free trial of that random thing (put a calendar hold so you don't forget to cancel if you don't like it!). I'm currently testing Less Annoying CRM*- affiliate link - you get an extra 30 days on top of the regular 30-day trial if you use that link!
and the best one...
Work with me.