Time to Read: 3 mins
A few weeks ago, I found myself staring at my laptop, frozen over a simple email reply. đź‘€
It wasn’t a tough message. There was no conflict. And no big decision.
I just needed to take a few minutes to crank out a quick but meaningful response.
Instead, my mind felt like someone had poured molasses into it. And every word felt like a slog.
For clarification… I wasn’t sick or overly tired or working past my normal “brain operating hours.”
However, I had spent the last several days moving from one thing to the next without ever really checking in with myself.
Client calls. Projects. Family obligations. A million tabs open. A half-finished “priorities” list. (When everything is a priority — nothing is!)
And what should’ve been a simple email response turned into a micro-signal from my brain.
It’s as if it were saying…
“Hey… slow down. Or this is gonna get even worse.”
It’s easy to think we only need to focus on self-leadership when a big crisis hits.
But honestly? It’s the small moments like this that often tell us the most about how we’re really doing.
Because these small moments are micro-signals of misalignment — tiny but powerful indicators that your inner leader might be running low on important resources, like:
→ mental clarity
→ emotional bandwidth
→ motivation and energy
And if you ignore these micro-signals, your brain often shifts into a protective mode:
đź‘Ž It starts filtering out non-essential tasks (like writing that email response)
đź‘Ž It makes decision-making feel harder than it needs to be
👎 It nudges you to pause… even if that pause looks like staring at the screen
From a self-leadership perspective, these micro-signals are important data points.
They’re reminding you to step back, check in with yourself, and realign before things spiral into bigger issues... like burnout, frustration, or disengagement.
Practionable Takeaway
Here’s a small practice I lean on when micro-signals are vying for my attention...
The Two-Minute Check-In
I take just two minutes to ask myself three important questions:
→ What am I feeling right now?
→ What do I actually need?
→ Is there one small thing I can do to support myself in the next hour?
Sometimes the answer is simple. Maybe all I need is a deep breath, a glass of water, or to step outside for some fresh air.
Other times, it might be bigger. Perhaps I need to shift a deadline, say no to something that doesn’t fit, or give myself permission to rest.
Importantly, though, these three simple questions are not actually about the fix.
Yes, the insights may point you toward a fix, but the real power is in the questions themselves.
They’re a powerful tool for opening the lines of communication between your inner world and your outer impact.
So… if moments like staring blankly at an email feel familiar to you, check out the video below.
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Remember, leadership doesn’t start with leading others… it begins with leading yourself.
And those subtle micro-signals are your formal invitation to do so.
To Your Success,
Laura
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