Your Brain is not Your To-Do List

Can we talk about something that trips up a lot of smart people? Your brain is not your to-do list.

The high-performing professionals I work with are often juggling dozens, sometimes hundreds, of responsibilities.

It’s tempting to keep it all “in your head,” trusting that you’ll remember everything at the right time. But your brain wasn’t designed for storage; it was designed for strategy.

I’m coaching a high school senior right now on executive function skills, and one thing that always strikes me is this: the younger my clients are, the more confident they are that they can hold every due date and appointment in their heads.

And to be fair… he probably can do it better than I can. 😄

But I’m teaching him this skill now because eventually, the mental juggling act stops feeling clever and starts feeling chaotic.

When you try to mentally juggle everything, your focus fragments, your stress increases, and important things slip through the cracks.

The solution isn’t to work harder, it’s to build a system outside your head that you can rely on.

Here’s a simple reset for this week:

1️⃣ Capture everything—projects, tasks, ideas, reminders—somewhere you trust (digital, paper, or hybrid).

2️⃣ Turn that list into a plan by grouping related tasks and scheduling time for the ones that matter most.

3️⃣ Use your brain for thinking and deciding, not remembering.

✨ Today's motivation: Free up your mental space. Offload what’s in your head into a system you trust, and see how much lighter you feel.

Clutter-free Zones

A simple reminder: revisit your Clutter-Free Zone.

If you already have one, give it a quick refresh. If you don’t, this is the perfect time to create one.

A Clutter-Free Zone is a designated area in your home or workspace that stays clear, no piles, no “just for now” storage, no overflow. It’s your visual reminder of calm, order, and possibility.

Over the years, my clients have chosen all kinds of Clutter-Free Zones:

*A piano that had been buried under and behind things for more years than she could remember

*The stairs leading to the second floor that had quietly turned into a drop-off zone

*Kitchen counters finally cleared of the extras that never really belonged there

*Desktops (both physical and digital!) reclaimed for actual work

*Nightstands, tables, and just about any horizontal surface

*The car (I was impressed by that one!)

*The top of the printer

*And one of my favorites, a mini trampoline in a spare bedroom that a client wanted to actually bounce on again

And here’s the key: this doesn’t mean your Clutter-Free Zone stays perfect all the time. Life happens!

It’s simply the first area you reclaim when things get busy or a little chaotic. It’s not about perfection, it’s about having one spot that helps you feel momentum and pride, and remember what peace feels like.

✨ Today's motivation: Revisit, refresh, or create a new Clutter-Free Zone. One clear space can remind you what calm feels like, and that it’s possible everywhere else, too.

Clutter Blindness

Let’s talk about clutter blindness, something that affects every one of us, no matter how capable, organized, or self-aware we are.

We stop seeing what’s right in front of us because it’s been there too long.

The box in the corner.

The bag behind the door.

The stack that’s been “temporary” for two years.

Our brain filters it out to conserve energy, and suddenly, what was once obvious becomes invisible.

That’s why I ask my clients to take photos of their spaces, not just for before and after comparison, but as a diagnostic tool. A photo lets you see what your brain has decided not to notice.

Recently, I was with a client who had a large garbage bag taped over a closet. When I gently asked if we could remove it, she laughed and said, “You know how you always talk about clutter blindness? This is a perfect example. I didn’t even realize that was still up there!"

She’d taped it up during home repairs, opened half of it to grab something, and then stopped seeing it altogether.

Here’s the truth: this isn’t about mess, it’s about awareness. We can’t shift what we don’t see. And once you do see it, even small adjustments create immediate energy and relief.

✨ Today's

motivation: Take a fresh look at your environment. Literally. Snap a quick photo of one room, corner, or surface and study it for 30 seconds. You might be surprised by what you see.