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It’s July.
Maybe you’re reading this poolside. Or maybe you’re prepping your OOO message and packing sunscreen. Either way, let’s talk about how to actually unplug. And what to do when it’s time to plug back in.
Step 1: Leave the (mental) baggage at home
You want to enjoy your time off, but your mind won’t stop racing. Sound familiar?
As a founder, you carry dozens of decisions and unfinished thoughts at any given moment. It’s hard to be present when your brain is looping through open questions: Did I follow up on that invoice? Should we invest in that conference? What if we miss our revenue target?
Here’s one of the most effective things you can do: get everything out of your head. I mean everything, from the smallest to-do to the biggest client proposal. If it’s on your mind, now’s the time to unpack it.
Capture all of this by writing it all down, on paper, in your notes app, or in a Google spreadsheet. It doesn’t matter where. Just get it out and get it down. Give yourself a limited time to do this – say 30 minutes – with no judging, editing or prioritizing allowed.
This isn’t just a productivity hack, it’s science.
A 2023 Forbes article highlighted that journaling daily can reduce stress, improve focus, and help professionals better understand personal needs, all of which enhance performance in fast-paced environments.
Your brain isn’t a suitcase that you can keep stuffing things into until the zippers burst. Before you leave, get the mess out of your head and into a format you trust. You’ll come back with more clarity and less panic.
Step 2: Once you’re back, prioritize like Warren Buffet
Now vacation’s over. Open your list. It’s long. Your heart pounds.
Rather than diving into the nearest fire, take a beat.
Scan your list and circle the few things that spark urgency, anxiety or opportunity. Then ask:
- If I gave this my full attention, what would success look like?
- Is this solving an urgent business problem – or is it just a nagging “to-do”?
This step is about discernment. It’s about figuring out what’s worth your time, money, and focus. From there you can identify what’s missing: Do you need an outside perspective? More information? Budget? A collaborator?
Once you’re clear about what’s missing, you can size the impact: Is this a $500 tweak or a $50,000 opportunity?
If putting numbers gives you anxiety, label the potential of your top priorities as Small / Medium / Large – just like a t-shirt.
Regardless of how you measure the impact, it’s essential to have a sense of what really moves the needle in your business.
This lens helps you prioritize like an investor, focusing on the highest return for your precious resources, instead of burning time and energy that won’t.
Step 3: Build your planning practice (This is where Fric comes in!)
The biggest mistake people make with planning is assuming it is a one-and-done weekend activity. But real planning isn’t a sprint. It’s not even a marathon. It’s your daily (or weekly!) jog.
That’s why we built Fric.
Fric gives you a single place to offload those maybes, what-ifs, and half-baked ideas. It’s not a to-do list. It is a place to explore and to store all the possibilities. It’s a thinking environment. A way to test assumptions and track what’s evolving in your business.
You talked to your marketing team about a conference? Drop in the estimated cost. See if it works. Deciding whether to invest in a new hire? Add the projected return.
The point isn’t perfection, it’s about the momentum.
The more you use Fric, the clearer your patterns become. Over time, it stops being about guessing what’s working. You’ll actually see if it works, or not.
And isn’t that the point? To spend less time ruminating and spinning, and more time building.
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