Woke up today feelin’ completely stretched thin. Again. Damn phone buzzing non-stop with work Slack, mom texting about family drama, even notifications about stuff I don’t care about popped up. Felt like my brain was a highway during rush hour, total gridlock. Decided enough was enough – gotta figure out this “Stay in Yo Lane” thing people keep talking about.
The Trigger That Broke Me
Sitting at my desk trying to finish a report, you know? Really needed to focus. Then ding! A co-worker messaged asking my opinion on some project email thread I wasn’t even part of. Normally I’d jump in, gotta be helpful, right? That old habit. But this time… I just stared at it. Felt this huge wave of irritation. Felt like my head was gonna explode. Why was I even seeing this? Not my circus, not my monkeys, right? But I always made it mine. Realized I totally screwed up my own lane boundaries.
My Awkward Try at “Lane Keeping”
Okay, step one felt weird: I didn’t reply. Yeah, seriously. Closed Slack. Put the phone face down. Ignored that buzz. Hardest thing ever! My fingers literally itched to grab it. Felt rude, felt wrong. But I took a deep breath. Asked myself: “Is this my responsibility right now?” Nope. That report was my lane. So I forced myself back to the report. Mind kept wandering back to that message though. Ugh.
Told myself: “Stay in your lane, dummy.” Focused on just typing one sentence. Then another. Slowly, my brain kinda calmed down about the whole thing. The world didn’t end because I didn’t jump into someone else’s business immediately. Weird feeling.
Making It Real Simple (Sticky Notes Help!)
Felt okay ignoring work stuff, but needed something easier for daily life. Got out some bright orange sticky notes – couldn’t miss those. Wrote down three ugly questions in big letters:
- “Is this MY thing to handle RIGHT NOW?”
- “Does this actually help ME?”
- “What lane am I driving in?”
Stuck ’em right on my laptop screen edge. Annoying? Yep. Effective? Absolutely. Every time my eyes drifted to other tabs or apps, bam, neon orange asking those questions.
Wife started venting about her sister’s kid’s homework issues. Felt that familiar urge to jump in with advice, solve the problem. Looked at my sticky note reminder. Is her sister’s kid’s homework MY lane? Hell no! Is listening to my wife and just being supportive MY lane? Absolutely. So I didn’t give unsolicited advice. Just said, “Man, that sounds rough.” Kept my lane clear. Way less mental traffic jam.
What Actually Happened? Less Noise, More Peace
Honestly surprised me how well this little mind shift worked today.
- Finished that report way faster once I stopped hopping mental lanes.
- Didn’t feel guilty ignoring stuff that wasn’t mine to fix. Weird relief.
- Family phone call was calmer cause I wasn’t mentally juggling ten things.
- Felt less… twitchy. Like my brain wasn’t constantly scanning five lanes over.
Biggest win? After dinner, actually sat on the couch with just my thoughts for ten whole minutes. Didn’t grab my phone once. Just watched the sky change color. Felt like a weight was off. This “Stay in Yo Lane” thing? It’s basically learning to be a lazy brain driver on a crowded highway. Way more peaceful over here.
