Hey Reader,

September always feels like a reset button.

The kids head back to school. The holidays fade into the rearview. Work ramps up again.

Last week, I sat down at my desk determined to finish a project I’d been putting off all summer.

You know what it's like.

I had my matcha latte in hand. My to-do list was clear. I even told myself, “No distractions today.”

But within 15 minutes, I’d checked my email twice, replied to a Slack message, and gone down a rabbit hole of “just quickly” looking something up online.

By lunchtime, I felt drained, yet I hadn’t touched the work that actually mattered.

Maybe you’ve had days like this too: busy, but strangely unproductive.

That’s the hidden cost of our distracted world. Focus doesn’t just slip away, it gets chipped away, one notification, one thought, one click at a time.

Why Focus Feels So Hard Right Now

Every distraction, no matter how small, comes with a cognitive price. Your brain doesn’t just “switch back” instantly, it leaks energy in the process.

That’s why so many of us feel exhausted at the end of the day without the satisfaction of moving forward on the things that truly matter.

The Power of Deep Work

Cal Newport calls it “deep work”, the ability to focus without distraction on demanding tasks. I actually did an entire video on this, and how deep work changed the way I work.

It’s the work that compounds. The kind that creates momentum and meaning.

But here’s the challenge: deep work won’t happen unless you design for it.

3 Ways to Protect Your Focus and Regain Energy

Here are three shifts that help me reclaim focus, especially as we head into the final stretch of the year:

1. Time block your priorities.​
   Don’t wait for focus to appear; schedule it. Block 60–90 minutes for your most important task at the start of your day. Protect it like a meeting you can’t afford to miss.
2. Reduce cognitive leakage.​
   Before diving in, close your email, silence notifications, and move your phone out of sight. Think of it as shutting the door to your mental workspace. Your best work deserves this.
3. Refuel intentionally.​
   Deep focus takes energy. After each session, step away, walk, stretch, or simply breathe. This resets your brain for the next round. Your brain is doing intense work, so give it the rest it needs.

A Question for You

As we enter the last quarter of the year:

You’d likely finish September (and probably the rest of the year) not with a longer to-do list, but with meaningful progress on the work that matters most.

Here’s to making these last months count,
Laurie 🙌

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Thanks for reading and being part of this growing community. See you in the next newsletter!

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