Hey Flow Fam,
I’ll be honest with you it’s been two weeks since my last newsletter, and that’s not like me. But here’s the thing sometimes life, content creation, and business all collide in ways that leave you feeling like you’re constantly running on empty.
Maybe you know the feeling. That moment when you realize you’ve been so busy creating content about productivity and mindfulness that you forgot to actually practice it yourself. When your to-do list becomes longer than your grocery receipt, and your brain feels like it’s running 15 browser tabs simultaneously and most of them frozen.
The Irony of Being Too Busy to Rest
As creators and entrepreneurs, we often fall into this weird paradox where we're teaching others about balance while secretly surviving on caffeine and the adrenaline rush of checking items off our endless task lists. We preach about the importance of downtime while answering emails at 11 PM and mentally planning our next three pieces of content during what's supposed to be our "relaxation time."
Sound familiar?
I found myself in a similar position two weeks ago. And instead of forcing another piece of content just to stick to my schedule, I decided to practice what I preach I gave myself permission to pause, breathe, and find my reset.
The Simple Tool That Changed My End-of-Day Routine
Which brings me to something I discovered during this little hiatus: Apple Journal on iPad (yes, it finally made it to iPad with iPadOS 26!).
Now, before you roll your eyes thinking "great, another app," hear me out. This isn't about adding more complexity to your life, it's about finding a simple, secure space where you can literally dump everything that's swirling around in your head.
I made a video breaking down exactly how I'm using it, but here's the real-talk version,
It's become my end-of-day reset space.
Not another productivity hack. Not another system to maintain. Just a quiet, private corner where I can:
Voice record my scattered thoughts (because sometimes speaking is easier than typing)
Jot down creative ideas before they disappear through distractions
Actually process how I'm feeling instead of just pushing through
Why "Simple" Wins Every Time
Here's what I've learned, when you're already overwhelmed, the last thing you need is a complicated solution. You need something so simple that you'll actually use it, even when you're running on fumes.
Apple Journal is literally just... there. No monthly fees, no fancy features to learn, no setup that takes longer than your actual journaling session. You open it, dump your thoughts, and close it. Done.
But here's the magic, having that consistent place to decompress has started shifting how I end my days. Instead of carrying all the mental clutter into my sleep (and waking up with it still there), I'm learning to leave it on the digital page.
Permission to Be Human
If you've been feeling the weight of keeping up with content, with your business, with life, I want you to know it's okay to acknowledge that you're tired. It's okay to admit that sometimes the very systems we create to help us can start feeling like chains if we're not careful.
The goal isn't to be perfectly productive or perpetually inspired. The goal is to be sustainably human.
Maybe that means taking two weeks to figure things out like I did. Maybe it means finding 5 minutes at the end of your day to just breathe and reflect. Maybe it means trying a simple tool like Apple Journal to create a tiny pocket of peace in your routine.
I put together a walkthrough showing exactly how I'm using Apple Journal as my reset space.
Watch: Stop Paying for Journaling Apps – Use Apple Journal on iPad
In the video, I show you:
How to set up different journals for different areas of your life
Why the voice recording feature is a game-changer for brain dumps
How it integrates with your health data if you want to track your mental wellness
The tiny features that make it feel thoughtful instead of overwhelming
Try This (No Pressure)
If any of this resonates, here's what I want you to try:
Pick one thing that's been swirling around in your head – a project, a worry, a creative idea that won't leave you alone. Find 5 minutes tonight and get it out of your head. Whether that's in Apple Journal, a notes app, or an actual paper notebook doesn't matter.
Just give your brain permission to set it down somewhere safe.
Then come back and tell me did anything feel different? Did you sleep a little better? Did your mind feel a tiny bit clearer?
I'm genuinely curious about your experience, because this stuff only works if it actually works for real people living real (messy, busy, beautiful) lives.
Thanks for giving me grace during my unplanned newsletter hiatus. Sometimes the best productivity tip is knowing when to step back and remember why we started doing this work in the first place.
Your tech should work for you, not the other way around. And sometimes, that means using it to create space for being human.
Talk soon,
Elesha
P.S. If this helped you think about your own reset routine differently, send it to someone who might need permission to slow down too. We’re all figuring this out together.
Man this is good. Thank you for sharing.