Today’s How To is incredible for doubling your energy, doubling your focus, and doubling your productivity. It’s going to skyrocket. For some of you, it will 10x all the things! Closing loops is a simple tool and you can start today!
Open loops
I want you to think about the open loops that you have in your life… maybe you’re thinking, “What’s an open loop?”. When I say an open loop, you can think of it in two different ways. It can be tasks that you haven’t completed, that are running in your brain. Think about your computer with a bunch of tabs open on it. When all those are running, what happens? The system slows down, the memory gets slow if you don’t have it plugged in and you’re just on battery that can also drain the battery. So thinking about that – this is your brain when you have a million open loops, a million tabs open in your head of things that you haven’t completed yet.
Start Simple
I’m going to teach you a couple easy ones to close, laundry, and dishes. These are two simple loops and why am I talking dishes because I want you to see that you get to show your brain proof that you’re awesome, that you’re amazing at closing loops. Am I saying the laundry is going to be done forever? No, but this loop of laundry is going to be done for you so that your brain is not spinning about it.
This is a simple one to prove to yourself that you’re a loop closer so that you can deal with the bigger loops, as well. So, laundry… here’s two ways to close the laundry loop. Number one, try only doing one load at a time. Do one load at a time until you get really good at closing the loop. Wash, dry, put away. Wash, dry, put away. Same thing with the dishes. Once you have a meal. Wash the dishes. Put them away, put them in the dishwasher, close that loop, clean up from the meal.
Getting to it later
We know what happens when we leave it for later, it starts to pile up in our mind with all the other unfinished tasks or things and the next thing you know… It’s stealing energy from you, it’s just stealing your focus, it’s stealing your productivity, because part of you, is going back to all the things you need to do. This is why we lose productivity, lose focus, and lose energy by having to deal with things like that.
Practice
You get to be in control of the only thing that you can control, you and where your energy goes. So close those loops! Practice closing those loops: close the laundry loop, close the dishes loop. What are some other loops that you can start practicing as well?
The Email Loop
I had created a terrible habit of checking my email constantly. Without really thinking about it all of the sudden, I’m in the email tab. When I realized that I was doing this, it was really slamming my productivity because I was stopping myself from finishing something else without even realizing it.
Trading the Habit
So I decided to create the habit of checking my email three times a day. And most of the time, I check it three times a day. Once in the morning, loop closed, window shut. At noon or midday, take care of it, closed, boom. Third and last time when I’m getting ready to leave my office at the end of the day, check it, take care of it, loop closed. Mostly this loop gets opened and closed three times a day. I am still creating this habit and it is a work in progress.
Bigger loops
More difficult loops to close, the bigger loops in your life that are stealing energy are unresolved conflict. They are conversations that have never been had. They are relationships that didn’t end well. They are seemingly forgotten and yet these unresolved conflicts are open loops. They’re stealing your energy without you even realizing it. I’m inviting you to get real curious, and just start writing these things down.
What do you think are some open loops in your life? What happens sometimes when you’re laying in bed right, and you’re getting ready to go to sleep and all sudden boom something pops up, like, oh my gosh…this thing, this loop. I really would like to have finished this, closed this door, whatever it is. Open loops of this kind are also emotionally draining for you.
Think about those open loops, and just start jotting them down.
You Get To
Here’s the beauty, if there’s an unresolved conflict, you don’t actually have to go to the person and say, hey we have unresolved conflict and I need to close this loop, for some of those unresolved open loops, you can close them yourself.
You can look at it and you go you know what, it’s time to close this loop. This loop is done, I am finishing well.
What if you started writing them down, downloading them out of your brain so that they’re at least on paper and not like a program running in the background, stealing your energy continuously without you knowing, taking that emotional energy, that physical energy, that mental energy.
You Got This
So those are a couple ways to close loops, I’d love to hear some of your best loop closing success stories. Save this video so you remember how to do this.
What loop(s) are you going to start closing now? Once you start, then your brain is going to see you are really good at closing loops, it’s going to bring the proof in to remind you that you’re really good at closing loops, and you’re going to build your self esteem. And the next thing you know, you’re not only going to be closing the everyday loops, you’ll find yourself returning from a trip and unpacking your suitcase first thing because you are a loop closer.
XO -Mindi
Loving this and want more? Check out this podcast with the amazing Debra Shepard!
