I was fortunate enough to have FiXT President James Rhodes on my podcast last year. I’m equally fortunate to be regularly working with him and the record label on a couple of exclusive content series for V13 Media. (Check out the full FiXT Labs series and sign up for the FiXT Academy.)
In a recent article tirled “Just Close the Window,” Rhodes discusses his viewpoints and strategies for staying focused and motivated in a hectic world of distractions.
It’s a succinct and powerful read highligting signal and noise. How we regualry leae open emotional windows and simply need to learn how to close them. He notes:
“If you are driving through a loud area with your window down and the noise becomes overwhelming, there is an obvious solution. You roll the window up. You do not argue with the noise. You do not get angry at the road. You do not take it personally. You recognize that too much of the outside environment is entering your space, and you adjust accordingly. This is a normal, rational response. Yet emotionally, most of us do the opposite. We leave the window open and absorb everything, then spend the rest of the day wondering why we feel irritated, distracted, impatient, or drained.”
A wonderful artcile ensues, reulting in Rhodes’ simple three-step practice that he calls the Close the Window, or CTW, framework.
- Catch It
- Take Control
- Win Back Your Mental Space
CTW is not a one-time exercise. It is a micro-practice you can use dozens of times a day. You do not need to get it right every time. Catching it a little sooner and closing the window a little more often is enough to change the trajectory of your day.
As he puts it, sometimes, you just have to Close The Window.