Maximizing Your Mental Capacity: a Business Owner's Guide to Closing Open Loops

As a Business Owner, who also wears many other hats outside the office, it's easy to find yourself juggling a multitude of tasks and projects simultaneously. 

This juggling act can feel like progress, yet it can leave you with a lot of "open loops."

Open loops are unfinished tasks or projects that not only linger in your physical space, they linger in your mental space. Understanding what open loops are, how they impact your mental capacity, and how to effectively close them can significantly enhance your productivity and mental clarity.

What exactly are Open Loops?

Open loops refer to any task or project that you've started, but not yet completed. They can be minor tasks, like responding to an email or call, unpacking after vacation or putting away that load of clean laundry that's been living in the basket for over a week (I'm guilty of this on a regular). They can also be more significant projects like completing (and sending) a proposal for a Client, launching (and marketing) a new program, spreading all that mulch you bought at Home Depot or finishing that cute crochet animal you're making for your new niece (and then, wrapping and mailing it). These unfinished tasks occupy mental space, as your brain continually reminds you of their incomplete status, creating some level of unease and stress.

What's the impact of Open Loops on your mental capacity, productivity and overall well-being?

• Mental Clutter: As your brain keeps track of every unfinished task and project, you accumulate mental clutter. This constant mental reminder can lead to feelings of overwhelm and stress.
• Decreased Focus: When your mind is preoccupied with open loops, it becomes challenging to focus on the task at hand. You have a hard time concentrating and perform inefficiently.
• Increased Stress: While you may not initially make the connection as to why, you feel a low-level of anxiety. This nagging feeling elevates stress levels, which causes a greater level of anxiety.
• Impaired Decision-Making: A cluttered mind struggles to make clear and effective decisions. This can lead to decision fatigue and ultimately, exhaustion.

How can you begin to close Open Loops so you can improve your mental clarity?

GOOD NEWS! Closing open loops is easier than you think.

Here are some practical steps to help you get started:

1. Identify Open Loops: Start by making a list of all your open loops, including minor tasks and major projects. Getting all that stuff outta your head and onto paper helps externalize the mental clutter, giving you a clear view of what needs to be done.
2. Start with Easy: Once you have your list, consider starting with the easiest open loops- identify tasks that will take 10 mins. or less to complete and invest 1 hour to complete as many as possible. This will boost your momentum AND mindset.
3. Prioritize: For remaining open loops, prioritize based on their importance and urgency. Use a system like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks into four quadrants: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. (Download here)
4. Create an Action Plan: Develop a plan to tackle each open loop. Break down larger projects into smaller, manageable steps. Set specific deadlines for each step to hold yourself accountable.
5. Schedule Time: Reserve specific blocks of time on your calendar to focus on closing open loops. Treat these time blocks as non-negotiable appointments with yourself, to ensure you make consistent progress.
6. Delegate or Eliminate: Evaluate if some tasks can be delegated to others or if they can be eliminated altogether. Not all open loops require your direct involvement, and some may no longer be relevant.
7. Focus to the Finish: Multitasking can lead to more open loops. Instead, focus on completing one task at a time. This approach enhances your efficiency and allows you to fully close each loop before moving on to the next.
8. Celebrate Progress: It's always SO important to celebrate progress as you close each open loop! Recognizing your achievements, no matter how small, can boost your motivation and help you continue moving forward.

So, are you feeling inspired to close some open loops?

Whether you start with Step 1 above or have your own idea of how to move forward, I encourage you to start taking some kind of action to free yourself from the mental burden of open loops.

And with this new awareness, I hope you can now see unfinished tasks and projects as opportunities to pause, prioritize and focus to the finish, so you can put your mind to work on the things that matter most, to you!