Welcome to Issue 80 of Clearly YOU! Every second Wednesday, I share fresh ideas to help you rise above the noise and communicate clearly, confidently, and with your real personality leading the way. Not a subscriber? Sign up now!

Sometimes, I get lost in the digital fog.

Not sure what I mean? Let me explain.

Digital fogginess is a fuzzy, sort of melancholy that rolls in when my brain roams too far - and lingers too long - in the world of screens.

Physically, it can seem like I’m on my game... scrolling and clicking, blocking and connecting, liking and sharing. I’m the omnipotent ruler of my online empire! 👑

But mentally, there’s a point where I start to feel kind of tired and lost. 🫩

My clarity - the why behind everything I’m doing - gets blurry. My creativity (and sometimes even my confidence) fades.

I keep going through the motions, but I’m not really moving forward.

If you’re like me - busy, busy, busy - you might not even notice when digital fog starts creeping in. It moves slowly, so you could be a little lost right now without even realizing it. Cue the goosebumps and Halloween music. 👻🎃🎶

And heads up: unless you’re planning to go off-grid, live in a solar-powered cabin, and raise chickens, you’re probably not going to avoid daily tech interactions.

But don’t panic. This isn’t as dire as it seems.

The problem isn’t technology itself; it’s letting it take over, allowing our days to get thick with devices, apps, and chatbots.

A more practical strategy (for those of us who won’t make it as survivalists) is to build strong, healthy habits and routines that help us steer clear of those foggy patches. Because once we’re in the thick of it, climbing out gets way harder.

That said, if you’re already sounding the horns and praying for rescue, don’t worry. You will find your way back to clearer skies. I promise! ☀️😊

Cool Quote

"Disconnecting from technology is essential for reconnecting with ourselves."

Arianna Huffington, author and founder of Thrive Global

Try This → Embrace Analog

Analog is just a fancy way of saying old school. Think pen and paper, face-to-face chats, wall calendars - basically, doing things like you did before the apps and gadgets took over.

Our brains weren’t built for nonstop screen time, pings, and multitasking. 🧠 They crave slower, tactile moments that help us focus, process, and create. Too much digital input floods our neural circuits, which is the root cause of that fuzzy, foggy feeling.

Analog moments let your overwhelmed brain take a few deep breaths and find its bearings.

Over the past few months, I’ve been slipping analog back into my work days. Some things slowed me down too much, but a few have been brilliant:

🤔 Deep thinking on paper: Instead of jumping straight into Google Docs, I went back to using notebooks for brainstorming and first drafts. Yes, it takes a bit longer, but ideas flow from brain to paper so easily - and the results are way better.

📝 Old-school lists: I ditched my iPhone Notes for notepads (and a sparkly purple pen). I’m amazed by how this helps me see what’s important versus what can wait. Plus, crossing things off is wildly satisfying!

👟 Walk and talk: I started by replacing one weekly Zoom call with a phone chat (while walking around my neighbourhood). Loved the friendly vibe I heard in my voice so much that I now do at least half my meetings this way.

Small habits add up. So go ahead - embrace analog. Your apps won’t even notice (promise).

Stuff Worth Sharing

If your brain’s craving a little analog love, this one’s for you. I’m talking journals - the good, the pretty, and the downright game-changing.

These five fabulous journals have been my secret weapons for organizing the chaos, navigating the messy bits, and pondering all the life stuff that doesn’t fit into a spreadsheet.

Ready to fall back in love with putting pen to paper? Dive in here:

🩷 5 Fabulous Journals That Help Me Organize, Navigate, and Ponder Life

Inbox-Worthy

This week’s pick: Neal Schaffer’s Weekly Digital Marketing & Generative AI Newsletter. Neal’s got his finger on the pulse of what’s actually working in digital marketing, especially when it comes to AI, social, and standing out without shouting. It’s useful, it’s clear, and it won’t waste your time.

The Power of SLOW Newsletter

By Shawn Fink, Creative Strategist & Leadership Consultant

A weekly-ish newsletter that discusses slow marketing, slow sales, slow creativity and slow living. Ideal for micro-businesses, leaders of mission-led teams and consultants. The Power of SLOW isn't just about business but it's very much about business AND it's also about human capacity and human scale, marketing in a way that heals and doesn't harm and being creative and authentic in a fast standardization world. It's about defining what's ours and what's the machine's. It's about ensuring that no matter what, we the humans are flourishing.

For the Word Nerds

In this issue, I called my newsletter update just a little growth spurt. 🌱

Truthful and respectful of both where I'm heading and where I came from.

When we make changes in our work - a service, a process, a product, even a name - we often talk about the past like it was a problem.

We throw around words like improved, fixed, or upgraded. And sure, sometimes those are accurate. But there’s also a hint of callous disregard. A low-grade “ugh, that old thing” vibe whispering just under the excitement of that announcement.

✨ Let’s stop doing that.

We can honour our work to date while acknowledging the need to grow.

Here are a few positive ways to describe change:

I’ve grown since then.
Neutral. True. No shade required.
It was right for where I was at the time.
Clear and grounded; a soft goodbye.
This feels more aligned now.
A confident shift, not a reinvention.
It helped me get here.
Give it credit. Then move forward.
I’ve shifted direction.
No drama. No apology. Just evolution.