Ep #178: Why Unfinished Tasks Keep You Stressed (And How to Finally Close the Loop)
episode
Balanced Working Moms Podcast - ADHD, Productivity, and Time Management
30 min
1 speaker
8 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Why do unfinished tasks keep me stressed even if they take only minutes?
Do you have something that you've started and haven't finished? Maybe it's been sitting on your to do list for weeks, maybe months, could be years, I'm not judging. The funny thing is that if you actually sat down to finish it, It probably wouldn't take you very long. It might even take less than fifteen minutes. But it's still not getting done. Maybe it's finding a new doctor, maybe it's finishing a return or sending an email you've been avoiding. Today we're talking about these open loops and why unfinished tasks drain so much mental energy, especially for women with ADHD.
Welcome into the Balanced Working Moms podcast. This is Rena Mishaw and I'm so glad you're here. If you're a busy mom like me who's juggling all the things, you're absolutely in the right place. In this podcast, you're gonna learn secrets on how to live your life so you feel so much more balanced.
Hello my good friend. I hope you're having an awesome day. I am happy because I am getting caught up with my podcasts. For about a month or two I felt so behind. I got covid and there was so much going on and it just feels so great to be back on track in my podcasting rhythm. And can I just say that since twenty ninetin? It was my first time missing an episode, you know? My first time not posting and exactly every two weeks. And let me tell you, to my shock. The world kept going on. I got no frantic emails. Podcast listeners did not stop listening. And there is a lesson in there somewhere. I'm not sure what it is, but there's definitely a lesson. And now I'm back on schedule and I'm lining up episodes and hopefully I'm back on track.
Let's hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that because summer is starting and I've noticed already things are getting very, very busy. That's how it is. And it's so funny because I also got this lovely email from someone who's taking notes on every episode. So cool. And she even she took a picture. She's taking them literally handwriting. And she sent a picture and it was just so cool seeing her takeaways and her summary of every episode. I loved it. I loved it so much. And speaking of getting things done and taking notes and doing things, today, as you heard in the new intros that I'm doing. Today I want to talk about open loops. And I thought of this concept from a boss that I used to have, and between you and me.
He wasn't my favorite boss ever. But he had a concept that fascinated me. And he used to say CTL, don't forget to CTL. He was obsessed with this CTL. What is CTL? Close the loop. Close the loop so he would constantly be harping on it. You could see why he wasn't my favorite. But it got me thinking about closing the loop on things because on this podcast and in my burned out to balance program. We always are talking about the stress of unfinished to do list items. It's really rough when you have these unfinished things that are in your head. And I always recommend mind dumps. I do them almost every week. It's my Sunday routine. I do a mind dump of all the unfinished things that are in my brain. And just last week I was just showing a client.
She wanted to see. She was curious if a mind dump would be helpful. And I showed her on my calendar where I do them every week. Yes, yes, I think they are very, very helpful. If I don't do my weekly mind dump, what happens is is I wake up in the middle of the night. Remembering things that I need to do. And I don't want that. I don't want that. That is not a pleasant feeling. I want to go back to sleep. I don't want to be waking up in the middle of the night thinking about whatever it is just happened the other day. I forget what it was. That's the problem. In the middle of the night we remember by the time we wake up, it's gone. But today I want to talk about half finished things.
How does my recent podcast‑production setback illustrate the impact of open loops?
I don't think we've ever talked about that. Not things on your to do list that you need to do. But things where you start And life happens and it just goes on the back burner for a long, long time. And that can create a lot of stress for you. And it's not conscious, right? Like I was telling you the other night I couldn't sleep.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why do unfinished tasks keep me stressed even if they take only minutes?
0:00–4:52
2
How does my recent podcast‑production setback illustrate the impact of open loops?
4:52–8:54
3
What is the “CTL” (Close The Loop) concept and why does it matter?
8:54–13:02
4
How do real‑life examples of half‑finished tasks reveal hidden mental energy drains?
13:02–17:13
5
Why are people with ADHD especially vulnerable to open loops?
17:13–21:10
6
How does perfectionism keep me from closing the loop on small tasks?
21:10–25:08
7
What is the GEMS system and how can it help me close open loops?
25:08–29:43
8
How can I apply micro‑actions, self‑care, and imperfect work to reduce stress?
29:43–30:27
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Balanced Working Moms Podcast - ADHD, Productivity, and Time Management
Ep #182: How to Use ADHD Hyperfocus On Purpose (Not Just When It Happens To You)
Ep #181: ADHD and Leadership: Why ADHD Brains Make Great Leaders
Ep #180: ADHD and Perfectionism: Wait...They Go Together?
Ep #179: Why You Can't Focus at Work (Especially if You Have ADHD)
Episode #177: The Bare-Minimum Routine: How Little Can You Do and Still Keep Things Running?