Welcome to Issue 83 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!
My follower count on Instagram is stuck like a 1920s gangster knee deep in concrete.
Seriously. 😖 It’s super frustrating.
And yes, I know Instagram isn’t make-or-break for me. If I walked away tomorrow, I’d still thrive.
But I want to master that damn platform.
And irrational wants? They’re an ALL CAPS kind of problem - because they send us down rabbit holes.
It’s SO easy to overreact. Low-level panic sets in, logic disappears, and BAM... the solution feels obvious:
🔥 Burn it all down. Reinvent. Rebrand.
Honestly? I get it. Reinvention sounds powerful.
But here’s the thing...
Big change comes with big costs: energy, momentum, and time. And in most cases, it’s not necessary. Nothing's broken. You don’t need a completely new version of yourself. You’re already fabulous. I promise.
What you do need might be something smaller. A tiny, intentional shift. Not a fix for what’s wrong - just an enhancement to what’s already strong.
If you’re still thinking, “Yeah, but maybe I do need a full rebrand…"
🤚 Hold that thought.
There’s actual science that says otherwise. And it's used by Olympic athletes, not just cranky strategists like me.
It’s called The Science of Incremental Gains. And it works.
Cool Quote
“Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”
🏀 Michael Jordan
Try This → 15 Micro-Tweaks with Macro Impact
(Inspired by the Science of Incremental Gains)
You’re already doing good work. No need to blow it all up and start again. But you could sharpen a few things. Just a little.
Because that’s what the best of the best do. They don’t reinvent. They refine.
Now, I work with people on their voice. That's MY zone.
But voice doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The way you work, rest, show up, and stay focused? It all feeds into how clearly and confidently you communicate.
So here are 15 tiny tweaks to explore.
⚠️ Don’t try all 15 at once! That’s not the assignment. Pick ONE. The easiest one for you. Something you can actually do today.
Then try it again tomorrow. And the day after that.
Because a 1% shift? That’s not fluff. That’s Olympic-level strategy.
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🧠 5 Health Tweaks That Support Sustainable Energy
- Drink a full glass of water first thing.
Hydration improves brain function and focus. Science says so.
- Step away from your desk for lunch.
Even 20 minutes will do. The goal is consistency, not perfection.
- Go to bed 30 minutes earlier.
You don’t need a new bedtime ritual. Just less scrolling under the covers.
- Upgrade one snack.
Not everything. Just one repeat offender. (Chips → almonds? Ice cream → yogurt?)
- Add one minute of movement between tasks.
Doesn’t have to be yoga. Just interrupt the sitting.
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🧩 5 Focus Tweaks That Improve Mental Clarity Over Time
- Silence notifications for your peak work block.
Protect your most focused time instead of reacting all day.
- Start the day with your most valuable task.
Even 30 focused minutes can move the needle more than 3 hours of multitasking.
- Tidy your desktop at the end of each workday.
A 1% improvement in your environment = fewer distractions tomorrow.
- Adjust your lighting and screen setup.
Lower harsh overhead lights, soften screen brightness, or reposition your lamp. Better lighting = better focus (and less squinting).
- Close your tabs.
You don’t need 12+ things open. Your brain will thank you.
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🎤 5 Voice Tweaks That Compound Into Clarity and Confidence
- Add a greeting and a warm sign-off to every email.
“Hi” and “Cheers” go further than you think. It’s about presence, not polish.
- Commit to reading everything out loud before you click send or publish.
If it sounds stiff, confusing, or not like you? Fix it. Out loud is the ultimate clarity test.
- Find one bit of jargon you use and KILL IT forever.
Goodbye facilitate. Hello help. Your people want plain language, not a corporate thesaurus.
- Complete this sentence: “I’m _______, _______, and _______.”
Pick 3 things you like about yourself. Write them on a Post-it. Stick it somewhere visible. Read it every day. Every hour would be even better.
- Replace one gendered word with something more inclusive.
Try folks instead of guys. They instead of he/she. Small word choices = big signals of respect and awareness.
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📣 I would LOVE to hear what you try - and how it works for you. And if there's some small tweak you've already made that had a big long-term impact, please tell me about it.
Stuff Worth Sharing
Want an example of the Science of Incremental Gains in action? 🎉 Got it!
🏅 Sir Chris Hoy is one of the most decorated Olympic cyclists of all time. Six gold medals, eleven world titles, and an actual knighthood for his services to British sport. Between 2004 and 2012, he helped put Team GB on the cycling map in a massive way.
But here’s what made him legendary: It wasn’t a flashy overhaul or some radical training secret. It was a strategy rooted in 1% improvements, now famously known as the Science of Incremental Gains.
Under coach Dave Brailsford, Hoy and the British Cycling team looked at every single thing that could affect performance, and asked, “How can we improve this by just a little?”
Here’s a peek at the tweaks they made:
✔️ Brought personalized pillows on tour to improve sleep quality
✔️ Redesigned their hand-washing routines to reduce illness
✔️ Adjusted saddle height and posture by millimetres
✔️ Refined nutrition and recovery protocols
✔️ Even tested massage gels to see which helped muscles recover best
Individually? These tweaks were tiny.
Together? They created a competitive edge no one else could touch.
And that’s the point:
When you're already performing at a high level, radical reinvention can actually hurt more than it helps.
But small, smart, consistent improvements? ✨ That’s where the magic is.
📖 Want to dig deeper? James Clear breaks it down with real examples and proof that 1% improvements add up fast => https://jamesclear.com/marginal-gains
Inbox-Worthy
This week’s pick is the 3-2-1 Newsletter by James Clear. You probably know him as the Atomic Habits guy, but his newsletter deserves some love of its own.
Short. Insightful. No fluff. It’s a weekly reminder that small improvements really do add up.
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James Clear
3-2-1 Newsletter
Author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits. I write about building better habits. Over 2 million people read my free email newsletter. Click subscribe to join. |
For the Word Nerds
Geduld (guh-DUHLD) is a German word that means patience, but not the passive kind.
Geduld is calm perseverance. Not waiting quietly. Not giving up. Just trusting that small, steady steps will eventually shift everything.
The next time you’re tempted to 🔥 burn it all down, reinvent, and rebrand yourself, don’t.
Try a little geduld instead. Make a few small shifts and give things a bit of time to steep.
🩷 You’ve got this.
Thanks for reading. Back in your inbox July 16th. Until then:
💥 Want your personality to pop?
Let’s tweak, not overhaul. Book a free chat.
☕️ Prefer DIY? Grab my free course. One short email lesson, delivered daily for 7 days. Easy peasy. Practical. Maybe even fun!
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