In this week's JournalingFix newsletter:

• Our "mental chatter tax" and what it really costs us
• A 2-line journal check-in to do right now
• Clear. Start. Focus - how to really get started
• Workshop reminder
• Nighttime Playbook coming soon!

Hi everyone,

I asked a successful friend this week what still slows him down the most, ie, the thing that derails his days or keeps him from doing what he actually wants to be doing.

He didn’t hesitate:
“Mental chatter.”

So I asked him, “If you could turn that down - if it wasn’t running the show - what would change for you?”

He laughed and said:
“I’d be rich.”

If our brains weren't burning so much time and energy on loops, second‑guessing, what‑ifs, and noise, we all have ideas we want to build, do, accomplish. Our capacity is there, but we've got to deal with our mental chatter tax.

For you, “rich” might mean something completely different:

“I’d have my book draft done.”

“I’d make that career move I keep circling.”

“I’d stop ending every day feeling behind, no matter how much I did.”

What mental chatter is really costing

From a brain perspective, “mental chatter” is not only an annoyance, it’s:

• Working memory bandwidth getting eaten by half‑finished thoughts, worries, “don’t forget,” and imaginary conversations.
• Attention residue from everything you touched but didn’t feel finished with.
• Perseverative cognition, the technical term for ongoing loops of worry and problem‑rehearsal that keep your system semi‑activated even when nothing is happening externally.

That combination can raise the cost of everything you’re trying to do:

• Starting important work feels heavier than it should.
• Decisions feel foggier than the facts justify.
• Re‑entry after interruption takes longer than it technically “needs” to.
• Focus blocks thin out faster, so you get less real depth than your effort deserves.

It’s like you have the skills and ambition, but the friction tax on each move goes up.

A 2‑line journal check-in with your own version of “rich”

Before we talk about tools, try writing this (you’ve got to write it, not just think it - it makes a difference):

1. “If my mental chatter dropped by 50% for the next three months, the thing that would change most in my life/work is…”
2. “What that would actually look like, in concrete terms, is…”

Maybe it’s revenue. Maybe it’s health. Maybe it’s relationships. Whatever your answer is - that’s your version of “I’d be rich.” What you could build on the other side is not hypothetical.

Where Clear. Start. Focus fits

Clear. Start. Focus is not a mindset e-book or course. It doesn’t ask you to be a different person.

It’s nine short, structured protocols built for the most predictable forms of mental chatter that tax high‑functioning people during the day:​

• The tab‑pileup brain that can’t think clearly because too many things feel open at once.
• The foggy decision state where everything feels important and you can’t choose.
• The single looping thought that won’t let go.
• The “I lost the thread” state after interruption.
• The pre‑focus state where you want deep work but your attention is scattered.

​
​Each protocol does the same core thing in 3–6 minutes:

It gets the chatter out of our heads and onto the page (cognitive offloading). It helps our brains see the pattern we’re in, not just the content. It walks us to a specific “next move” that fits that pattern, so we can get traction instead of staying in the loop.

If you already downloaded it but haven’t used it

If Clear. Start. Focus is sitting in your downloads folder, here’s your one‑minute start:

1. Open the PDF.
2. Go to the “Find Your Reset” page.
3. Read the “Use when…” lines and pick the one that sounds most like your brain today.
4. Do only Step 1 of that protocol. Not the whole thing. Just start the first step and see what happens.

If you haven’t grabbed it yet

If reading this made you immediately think of the things that would change if your mental chatter dropped, the kit - Clear. Start. Focus: 9 micro‑writing protocols for the moments that stop most people - is free and you can download it below.

Virtual — wherever you are 💻 Micro-Journaling for Motivation, Focus, and Resilience Wednesday, April 8 · 10:00–11:00 AM PDT · Zoom Hosted by Tech Ladies — open to all genders

This one goes deeper into how micro-journaling helps you build real daily agency - clearer priorities, less rumination, faster re-entry into focus after your brain has gone in all the directions.

Tickets are $10, free for Tech Ladies PRO members. Heads up: tickets close an hour before the event and it won't be recorded, so register ahead of time.

👉 Get your ticket​

Coming soon! Nighttime Playbook

JournalingFix bite-sized writing protocols for the evenings and nights that hijack your sleep, your mood, and your next day. Planned launch is next week!

Thanks for being here,

Áine

PS... If you think of a friend, colleague, or family member who could benefit from the workshops or free protocols kit, I'd love if you could forward this email to them. Thank you for helping me reach and help as many people as possible!