From Flat to Focused: What I Learned on a Slow Saturday

The other Saturday morning I woke up feeling flat, de-energised, and if I’m honest… a little fed up.

There wasn’t one obvious reason, more a slow build-up of mental clutter. Tasks were piling up in my head, many of them linked to the closing out of my old working life. Practical things like clearing spaces, finishing admin, and sorting through what remained.

These weren’t glamorous tasks. They were time-consuming, logistically messy, and touched on memories not fully processed. A lot of it involved giving things away: finding local charities, arranging pickups, coordinating timings. It was more emotionally draining (and at times, more complicated) than simply selling things would have been. But it felt like the right thing to do.

And so there I was at 7:47am, alone in an empty office, dismantling desks and boxing up the past. It felt overwhelming. The kind of pressure that doesn’t just come from the task itself, but from the way your brain whispers “get it all done today or else.”

Time For A Reset

Instead of spiralling, I paused. Just for a few minutes. And it made all the difference. Here’s what helped me shift from flat to focused:

• Hydration over caffeine: I swapped coffee for nearly a litre of water. Simple, but surprisingly effective.
• Named the overwhelm: I realised part of the stress came from wanting everything done immediately. Completely unrealistic, just emotional noise.
• Captured the chaos: I scribbled a list, separated tasks into urgency levels, and let my brain breathe.
• Did one thing well: I gave myself a set window (which overran, but that’s okay) and finished the office clear-out.
• Celebrated the win: Instead of rushing to the next job (cutting the grass, of course), I chose a good lunch. Marked the moment.

The Battle With Hypothetical Worries

But what’s surprised me most over the course of that weekend and in the following weeks is the power of hypothetical worries. It’s as though my brain has developed a talent for inventing elaborate worst-case scenarios. Scenarios that have no basis in reality, but somehow have the power to drag me down. On more than one occasion I found myself, for no reason deciding that the building sale would fall through and we would be left high and dry with no buyer.

As a logical thinker, my first instinct was to reason my way out. I started asking:

“Okay, but what happens when the office sale is complete? What will this allow us to do? What doors will it open? What freedom will it create?”

And it helped, for a time. But here’s the thing I didn’t expect the negative thought to came back. Reframing worked but it felt like a sticking plaster, not a cure. The logic made sense, but it didn’t fully quiet the noise.

So a second step was added: step back and separate thought from fact. When my brain insisted:

“The deal’s falling apart. You’ll be left high and dry.”

I reminded myself of the known facts:

“The fact is someone is on holiday, and therefore a draft point on a contract isn’t being dealt with right now. That’s all. It doesn’t mean the deal is collapsing.”

Problem solved – Not exactly – Yes, one worry put to bed, but the old brain would let another one slip in to take its place. On the surface it would feel different, but scratch the surface and it was the really the same fear just in a new disguise.

Right now, for me, that underlying fear is about whether I’ll have the resources financial, emotional, and relational for a safe and fulfilling retirement. When I look at the evidence: the spreadsheets, the calendar plans, the reassuring conversations with family and trusted friends everything points towards a good future. The truth is, this is just my mind spinning hypothetical worries. The facts tell a different story. And when they do, the best thing I can do is recognise the worry for what it is, close it out, and move forward.

What I’m Learning (or should I say that be relearning) –

• First off every day really is a school day.
• Not everything urgent feels important.
• Not everything important needs doing today.
• And not every thought is fact.
• Finally slow living isn’t always slow. But it can be more intentional — and that’s the bit I’m learning to live out.

Hope this helps. Remember to subscribe to the blog to get the next update as we navigate the road to retirement.