I both love and hate completing things.
💁🏻♀️ On the one hand, there’s satisfaction and confidence in being able to see things through to the end
🙅🏻♀️ On the other hand, there’s a sense of dread and obligation that makes finishing tasks hard for me
Compounded by the fact that my brain is a constant buzz of distractions and stimulus, it’s hard to even keep track of what is actually occupying my mind.
It’s a chaotic mess in there (hello ADHD!)
At any given moment my brain has a million metaphorical “browser tabs” open….
….the new business idea
….the trip I still need to book
….the email I was supposed to write
….the call I’ve been avoiding
….the laundry that needs to be done
….the random topic I’m hyper-fixated on
Needless to say, this habit of constantly opening new mental tabs and never CLOSING them takes a mental and physical toll on me.
It usually manifests as:
- overwhelm
- anxiety
- stress
- interrupted sleep
- teeth grinding
- gut issues
- shallow breathing
- tightness in my shoulders
- tension headaches
My poor body attempting to communicate my mental distress through physical symptoms.
And after a prolonged state of distress…it often devolves into burnout 😩
Sound familiar?
Over the years, I’ve developed some helpful tools and systems to close out my mental tabs more efficiently. (Before overwhelm sets in)
Even if you’re not consciously aware of the toll your open tabs are having in your life…
It’s like a candle you left unattended…out of sight until it burns your whole house down 🔥🔥🔥 Oops!
Which is why learning how to effectively close out your mental tabs can be a game changer in terms of mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.
If you’re wanting (and struggling to find)….
- Clarity to take action
- A deeper sense of peace
- More calm and less anxiety
- A sense of accomplishment
- Mental space to focus
- Energy for creation
….it probably means you have some outstanding open tabs in your mind!
Your mental clutter is taking up « s p a c e ! »
And you need space to invite NEW opportunities, ideas, and thoughts that feel fun, manageable and aligned.
So let’s get started!
Here’s my “MENTAL TAB CLOSING” method I started implementing to get more clarity + peace when my mind is abuzz with too many unclosed tabs and to-do lists….
STEP 1: TAKE FULL INVENTORY 📝
The closing of mental tabs starts with a process I lovingly call “vomit everything out”.
I know, it’s a gross visual, but the gist is this: externalize every single piece of thought, task, project, idea that is currently swirling around in your head rent-free.
Purpose: acknowledge and shine a light on everything that’s been hiding in the shadows of your mind. You have to see what you’re working with here.
Execution: Write it down on paper, onto post-its, on a whiteboard, typed up, whatever! As long as you can visually see it….that’s the point! It’s no longer living INSIDE your head, but OUTSIDE in the world
STEP 2: CATEGORIZE/SORT 🗂️
Now that you have your list, you’re able to begin the task of streamlining your thoughts by priority. In this step, you’ll be able to choose if you want to keep, delete, delegate or snooze so you can free up some memory and brain power.
Purpose: Prioritize what’s actually important to action right now, and remove or create an opportunity to revisit less urgent items later. You’re starting to free up some valuable mental space and releasing the mental load you’ve been carrying.
Execution: Go through each item on your list and decide if you want to…
Keep – What is something you’ve been thinking about that NEEDS to be done urgently? Think in terms of timelines.
What’s the most urgent today, next few days, next few weeks? THEN….ask yourself it’s something you’re able to action yourself easily?
In summary, if it’s 1) urgent (time wise), 2) important AND 3) something you’re willing and able to take action on….it’s in the “keep” category.
Delegate – What are the things that is urgent and needs to get done, but you’re unable or unwilling to take action on.
Example: boring things you keep putting off, or your gap in knowledge is causing delays..
Snooze – What are the things on this list that are important…but the DEADLINE isn’t until next month, next quarter, by the end of the year?
Categorize these things separately and schedule a future date in your calendar to review these at that moment.
For example, I like to schedule an email to myself using Boomerang for Gmail or Future Me for the next month or 2 months out so I can deal with it later without it swirling in my head right now.
Delete – these are the other things on your list that hasn’t been categorized yet….
Ask yourself “is it absolutely 1000% necessary for me to keep thinking about this?”
Can you and are you willing to let it go?
Example: You keep meaning to “take that salsa class” but never get around to it….just let it go! It’s not urgent and at this point it’s just causing you stress.
A key indicator something needs to be deleted from my mind is if I keep hitting “snooze” on the thought more than 3x in a row. If it’s important it’ll come back into my mind, I can let it go for now.
STEP 3: START CLOSING TABS! ✖️
Now let’s do something about your category of action items! The priority list shows us where to begin and what needs to just be snoozed or deleted off our plate. Peace is in sight!
Purpose: Clearing mental space by closing outstanding items from your mind and build momentum. Once you get going, it’ll feel like relief with each thing you check off
Execution:
Start with “keep” pile first – tackle a few smaller “easy wins” you can complete quickly. TIME to completion is the focus first
The goal is to gamify and create a “winning streak” so your mind will feel the dopamine as you begin to close your mental tabs
For example, today in my “keep” pile I have a range of things….from writing this very email (about a 1hr task), making my bed (5 min task), replying to a client email (10 min task), and sending an invoice (15 min task)
I’m gonna start with the quickest wins first to get momentum going so it’ll look like: make my bed, reply to client email, send invoice, then…..this email!
If I had started with writing this email, I would get overwhelmed or discouraged and it’ll remain an open tab
Next, look at your “delegate” pile – who can you hire to get this off your plate?
Who has the knowledge to help you close these open action items? Can you empower your family, team, partner, children to assist?
For example, I’ve been meaning to help my parents book their flights but because I’m overwhelmed with other obligations, I asked my brother to assist and he’s already quickly completed the task for me!
Go ahead and look at this category and assign the task to someone else or identify someone who can help you complete these
For the “snooze” list – go ahead and schedule a time in the future to deal with this list later
I like to set up an actual calendar reminder and time block 1hr to review and recategorize these a month or two ahead of the deadline
For the “delete” list – let it go! (seriously)
If it’s truly important, you can add it to your longterm “snooze” list, but if you notice you keep delaying it….it’s not actually important to you!
Or if you have anxiety about truly deleting it, start a separate document/file “wish list” of things you’ll eventually get to if you’re bored but not at all important enough to keep thinking about it
I hope this was helpful!
Cheering you on!
Your clarity coach,
Hana
P.S. If there’s a much bigger “open tab” on your mind….
Like starting a business, navigating a big career pivot, or integrating a new life transition (like motherhood, marriage/divorce, etc.) let me help you focus on getting it done!
⭐ ⭐ I have 2 open spots to work with my privately…if you’re curious to see if this is a right fit for you, go ahead and book a free discovery call with me HERE.
P.P.S. If group coaching is more your thing, Re:Boot trained facilitator Dilan is leading the next “Clarify Your Path” cohort!
