What unfinished business weighs on your mind? Things like unfinished projects, unresolved conflicts with coworkers, or big decisions you keep putting off. In his book Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Everyday, Todd Henry calls the unresolved stuff in our lives “open loops.”
Open loops want to be closed. Whether we realize it or not, our open loops float around in our heads, adding stress, compounding guilt, and distracting us from more important stuff.
Until we either eliminate them or complete them, open loops will continue to suck our energy and mess with our ability to perform at our best.
If you have too many open loops in your life, it diminishes your ability to focus on the mission-critical things.
Todd Henry
Open loops include:
- Small annoying tasks you’ve been putting off
- Unfinished projects
- Projects you’ve planned but never started
- Conversations you’ve been putting off
- Decisions that need to be made
- Old, oft-ignored dreams or goals that are still lurking in the back of your mind
- Unfulfilled promises
- Unmet responsibilities or duties
- Unreconciled relationship issues
- Phone calls you’ve been avoiding
How to reduce the open loops in your life
1. Write down every open loop you can think of.
Take your time and list as many as you can. (Refer to the list above to help you identify them.)
2. Circle all the small nagging tasks that can be finished easily.
Set aside half an hour and work through as many of them as you can. If needed, schedule another block of time to deal with the rest. Whew! Cross those babies off the list.
3. Now it’s time to face the rest of your open loops.
You need to decide which represent projects that are viable, and which can be cut from your life. Be brutally honest with yourself regarding the following:
Interest. Do the unfinished projects or lingering dreams still interest you, or are they left over from a previous phase of life. It’s OK to let go of projects that no longer matter.
Values. Does this task/ duty/ project/ goal align with your current values, or is it a reflection of society’s values (that you don’t share) and therefore not really worth your effort?
Purpose. Does this task/ duty/ project/ goal align with your life purposes? Might it be someone else’s dream for you rather than your own?
Time. Do you have the time to commit to this project/ task? Is it worth sacrificing something else in order to make it happen?
Resources. Can you realistically accomplish it within your current budget and other resources? If you began to save, would it be feasible in a year or two? Is it worth reshuffling the budget to make it happen?
After considering each open loop, decide which unfinished business is worth finishing and which should be purged from your mental to-do list.
4. Eliminate any open loops that can be jetisoned without further work.
For example: A home-improvement project you’ve done preliminary work for but after going through step three you’ve decided it doesn’t fit your current lifestyle or budget. Give yourself permission to let it go.
When the inner critic tries to guilt you about quitting those projects, remind yourself you’ve made a rational and intelligent decision to expend your time and attention elsewhere.
5. Pick one open loop that requires additional work to close before you can eliminate it, and take the next step.
I hope these suggestions will help you reduce the mental weight you carry. Less guilt. More life. One small step at a time.
I closed a bunch of “open loops” related to correspondence last week. One step I had to take was face what fear was keeping me from tackling long-standing unfinished tasks. There were different answers for different tasks, but I had to face down that fear before I could tackle the task. One might fear looking foolish for having taken so long to write that thank you note. Or fear of the not writing the perfect message in a birthday card. The list goes on.
I know that fear well, in all the forms you mention. Bravo on facing down the fear and getting those items off your mind.
This is a great post and practical tips. As a aspiring writer, I always have open loops – it’s both a blessing and a curse.
All the best from South Africa, Michelle (michellesclutterbox.com)
Unfortunately, we’ll never manage to close all the loops at once, because that would mean we aren’t doing anything. But it’s good to reduce the load now and then. Thanks for visiting.