Friday Fieldwork: Closing the Tabs
The browser in your brain doesn’t need more tabs. It needs closure.
This week’s Fieldwork comes out of a reflection I wrote about ending the day with intention instead of exhaustion. You can read the full story here.
We all know the feeling: lying in bed, scrolling, adding one more thing to the list, replaying tomorrow before today is even done. The tabs keep piling up.
In our heads.
On our phones.
On our hearts.
And before long, we’re not resting. We’re spiraling.
This Week’s Fieldwork: Close the Tabs
Here’s your reset for this week:
Dump it.
Before bed, jot down everything waiting for tomorrow. Clear it from your head onto paper.Name it.
With your kids or spouse, share one thing you’re grateful for from the day. Bonus points for more than one.Surrender it.
Leave your phone out of the bedroom. Let God, not a screen, hold the first and last word of your day.
Why It Works
When we don’t manage the tabs, they manage us. Neuroscience shows that bedtime spirals keep the nervous system in fight-or-flight, making it harder to rest and recharge.
Closing the tabs through
gratitude,
surrender,
or presence, quiets the noise and makes space for peace.
Quote to Remember
You don’t have to solve every tab tonight. You just have to close it because :
Sorry if this is a repeat, my comment is not showing, I guess it didn't go through the first time.
My question was about your approach when an idea follows you to bed. Comes in your dreams and/or wakes you up.
I tried to let it go and go back to sleep, but the next day it's gone and I'm upset.
I also tried to wake up, write it down, but going back to sleep isn't easy (and my wife isn't happy about the lights on at 3 am 😀)
Absolutely agree! The checklist is solid: Dump it, Name it, Surrender. I’ll be using this in the near future. Thank you for sharing.