Obsession loops — got one?
Oh, hi friends!!
How do you get out of a loop?
I’m talking about when your mind glues itself to one specific thing and simply cannot — will not — let go.
An editor who ghosted you.
The unemployment office that hasn’t called yet.
The PPP loan that seems out of reach.
A possible mouse in your apartment.
The fact that no one’s replied to your best tweet ever.
There are certain annoyances that can take over your life, or far too many hours of your day.
You’re already taken action (right?) and there’s nothing else for you to do — you’ve followed up, now you’re waiting.
Here’s my one trick to get out of the mind tsunami: Schedule time for your obsession loop.
That’s right. Literally schedule a time to worry about it.
On Thursday at noon, I’ll worry about and check back in with that editor, unemployment office, PPP loan, apartment mouse, best tweet ever.
That’s it. You’re not forgetting, but now this worry has an assigned time and date, rather than taking up all the space in your head, rent-free, all the time.
(And ideally, when you get to your date, the problem will be resolved.)
Somehow this is very soothing.
Goodbye, loops!
"I had imposter syndrome for years, not thinking that I was a director or a writer just because I never studied it. It wasn't anything I thought I would ever do in my life, and a lot of people gave me encouragement when they saw my work."
As someone who still talks about the fact that I didn’t get in the film school at UCLA, this quote from Mary Neely in a Hollywood Reporter piece hit home for me!
You might know Mary Neely from her hilarious Twitter thread of her recreating famous musicals — and playing all the roles. (Seriously, watch for a good laugh.)
At the beginning of self-isolation time, Mary began posting videos of herself in elaborate scenes on Twitter (she only had 800 followers). Her videos were good. People started noticing. People like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Kelli O’Hara! She kept posting. Now she’s fielding calls from casting directors and Netflix showrunners. I LOVE THIS STORY. She played to her strengths. (She also responded to every single person who commented — so smart.) Go, Mary Neely, go!
I love this Billie Eilish lyric video created by my friend Chelsea Parrish! So creative.
Sidenote: Do you need a PR expert right now?
My friend Daphna Barzilay is an expert at communications strategy, brand positioning, partnership development, and content/digital strategy. Her background is across travel, hospitality, interior design, architecture, and real estate public relations. (Yes, she does it all — plus, she's a great human!) She's offering free communications strategy calls with brands who are pivoting or re-thinking their PR strategy. If that's you, please reach out to her at daphnab@gmail.com and let her know what you need help with right now.
PS — If you'd like some friendly accountability and a fresh start every morning, please join me and my brother Eric for the 10:11 Club — every weekday morning at 10:11am ET (or whatever time zone you're in!), we're starting our day together and working toward one goal until noon. It's simple: At 10:11, you pick one task and go!
Do you like these daily emails? Please share with a friend!
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara