Close your (mental) Google Chrome tabs

March 31, 2026 Imagine your mind as a computer's RAM memory. Each task you need to complete is like a Google Chrome tab. If you open too many tabs, your machine's memory usage will increase, which leads to slowness. Every time you procrastinate on a task, it's like opening a tab in your mind that starts draining your energy. Let's use an example from daily life: > You wake up and don't make your bed. A new tab opens. > You check your inbox and see that two people are waiting for your reply, but you ignore them for now. Two more tabs open. > Your wife calls to remind you to buy batteries for the remote control. "Okay," you say. Another tab opens. The day passes, and you haven't done anything. There are three tabs, or more, in your head. > You go to sleep. > You wake up with three tabs pending from yesterday. Reading this example alone may have drained your mental energy. Now, imagine living day after day with many tabs open in your mind. These tabs could be pending tasks, unanswered emails, or difficult decisions you are avoiding. Like a machine, our memory has limit. If it's usage is too high, we feel tired, sad, and down. So, how can we solve this problem, or at least minimize it? Let me share my strategies for closing as many tabs as possible. First, "eat the frog first." If you have to eat a frog and a cookie, eat the frog first. What does that mean? It's a famous quote, and the idea behind it is to start with the hardest task. Whenever possible, start with the most daunting and uncomfortable task first. Once it's done, you can relax and eat the cookie. Next is the "two-minute rule." If something takes two minutes or less to complete, do it now. Once you have this skill, you will no longer to reach the end of the day with many tabs open. Making the bed is an example of a "two-minute task". The next one is "go to sleep happy." Ask yourself: "What task(s) do I need to complete today to go to sleep happy?" Maybe just one is enough, such as replying to emails. Of course, you shouldn't use this strategy to complete only one task per day. It's just a strategy for chaotic days when a thousand things are happening at once. The last one is more like a tool than a strategy. It's to write everything down. If you don't already have it, start the habit of noting everything you need to do, even small tasks. Note not only tasks, but also ideas and thoughts. Don't rely on your mind to hold on to an idea for a whole day or week; free up that space in your memory. Like a machine, we have limited resources. Our job is to manage them correctly. For the sake of your mental health, close the tabs and avoid having too many open. --- I saw this analogy in the Julio Lobo's video, The mental trap that DRAINS your energy!. If you enjoyed this post, I highly recommend watching the video, it's only ten minutes long. See you next time!