For when your desktop is chaos, your brain feels fried, and you’re wondering if it’s time to switch laptops... or lives.

You know what tipped me off that I was out of alignment recently?

It wasn’t a missed deadline or an unhappy client.

It was three design programs open at once, an inbox I was actively avoiding, and a to-do list that felt like it was just there to make me feel bad.

Turns out, digital clutter can be just as revealing as the dishes in your sink or the stack of mail on your kitchen table.

Your tools have tells. And sometimes, when you're overwhelmed, they're louder than your own inner voice.

This Shift Notes edition isn’t about digital hygiene.

It’s about using your tools as mirrors to gently figure out what your systems and habits are really saying about your energy, your schedule, and your needs.

🧠 A Quick Story from My Own Shift

I used to save Fridays for working on my business. That’s when I’d plan to write blog posts, work on offers, or map out big-picture strategy.

Surprise! I almost never got to it.

By Friday, I was done. My creative energy had left the building. I'd sit there with the cursor blinking at me from a blank page. Almost like it was taunting me. It got to the point where just opening my Word program felt like poking myself with a letter opener.

So I paid attention. I noticed when I felt naturally more focused, inspired, and curious. And then I shifted.

Now I protect my early-week energy for the tasks that need that spark. Writing. Planning. Creating. I leave the admin stuff for later, when my brain’s ready to coast.

That one little shift changed everything.

🛠️ New Resource: The Digital Pattern Decoder

I made you something.

It's a one-page tool that helps you take a good, honest look at your digital habits without shame, and without needing a productivity overhaul.

✅ Check what’s showing up (like open tabs, inbox overload, tool fatigue)

🧠 Reflect on what it might mean about your energy or focus

🤖 Use the AI prompt or your own journal to gently realign

🌱 Choose one tiny shift that’ll make things feel less chaotic and more clear

🔗 Grab the Digital Pattern Decoder here

Use it weekly, monthly, or just when you feel like you’re spinning out. No tracking habits, no shame spirals, just a little clarity from the digital static.

💬 Reflection Prompt for You

What’s one tech tool, system, or digital behavior that’s been quietly stressing you out?

Not the big, obvious one... the subtle one.

The one you keep using anyway.

Name it. Sit with it. Ask yourself: Do I need this? Or do I need a different way of doing this?

🧹 Tiny Shift to Try This Week

Pick the open tab that feels the most emotionally loaded…

…and close it.

Just that one.

No ceremony needed. You’re allowed to walk away from things that aren’t helping you move forward even if they felt important at one point.

Because sometimes the clearest insight comes from your messy desktop 🖥,

💌 PS: Need more realignment?

I’ve got a workbook for that.

Work That Loves You Back is full of guided prompts and clarity exercises to help you figure out what fits, what doesn’t, and how to build something better.

Grab it here if you need something deeper than a checklist.

💡 Been Feeling a Shift Coming On?

If you’ve been side-eying your career, your schedule, or your general “what am I even doing anymore” vibes… you’re not alone. I’ve been writing about the kind of changes that don’t just tweak your work; they redefine how it fits into your life.

Here’s what’s recently appeared on the blog:

🧠 You Don’t Want a New Job—You Want Meaningful Work

Because the problem might not be your job title, it might be the way you’re expected to show up in it.

🛠️ How to Pivot Your Career Without Starting Over (Even in Midlife)

Spoiler: You don’t need a blank slate. You need a better lens on what you already bring to the table.

💸 The Hidden Cost of Career Misalignment

Let’s talk about what staying “safe” is really costing you—and why it’s more than just burnout.

🌪️ What No One Tells You About Navigating Life Transitions

Midlife? Career shifts? Big decisions? This one’s for the in-between times when everything feels like quicksand.

😐 You Deserve Better Than ‘Fine’: Escaping the Stability Trap

Comfort isn’t always the same as alignment. Here’s how to tell the difference (and what to do if you’re stuck in the middle).

👉 Catch up on the latest here

📬 Share Shift Notes with Someone Who…

• Has 37 open tabs and swears it’s “fine”
• Keeps pushing their real work to Friday (and never getting to it)
• Thinks they’re just disorganized but might actually be out of alignment
• Treats their inbox like a haunted house

If this edition made you feel a little seen (in the good way), forward it to a fellow solopreneur, creator, or human with too many tabs.

Better yet, send them here so they can get their own copy next time:

👉 Subscribe to Shift Notes

Because digital clutter is real...and so is the magic of one good reset.