Finding myself with a growing list of projects again, encroaching my faux-minimalist headspace like creeping vines over artificial grass…

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Maybe you relate.

This past week I’ve been thinking about all the projects that fill our heads. And so I revived and revamped an old worksheet from my early coaching days…The Project List: a confronting yet practical exercise for an overwhelmed mind.

While I don't miss the productivity-obsessed mindset that prompted me to come up with such tools, I appreciate the usefulness of these things. Until I don't need them again.

And that's a wonderful thing. To get what we need and carry on, a little lighter than before.

To expand on this a bit, you’ll know you’re truly focused when you’ve let go of some things that you truly care about. Things you wish you could focus on, but you’ve had to make some tough decisions.

It should be noted that the grieving here is a secondary result of taking meaningful actions toward focus. You’re not aiming for it. (Who does that?)

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It's taken me a long time to figure out what I need to let go of. The Project List was instrumental in that.

It wasn’t until my 7+ hour drive from Liverpool to Brighton in last week's oppressive heatwave that I truly started processing what I put on that list. Nothing like being trapped in a fixed position in a car that is both your mobile cage and your relief from melting.

And it wasn’t even that really, because the true reckoning didn’t happen until the 8-hour drive back. A whole shift. Not only does the change of direction help (returning home) but being on the other side of the thing you sent yourself off to do.

That's when I started accepting the things I need to let go of.

What would I be sad about not doing?

Taking a cue from another Kim-with-an-excellent-newsletter, Clearly YOU, I’ve decided to pause this Hold That Thought newsletter for the summer.

I can't tell you how sad this makes me! Crafting Hold That Thought is one of my passion projects and it serves several personal and professional purposes, too.

But! The reality right now is that there isn't time for it and the other things I'd like to focus on. As evidenced by my inability to get the newsletter out consistently these past several months, despite how much I want to!

So many unfinished drafts. But they will help me restart quickly in the Fall.

What do you need to put on hold or let go of right now?

Allow yourself to feel sad about that. And make way for focus.

What will you do instead?

One of the big questions I like to ask people when they don't do the thing they meant to do is this: What did you do instead?

I ask this without judgement, but with curiosity. Because it's always telling what we actually choose.

What I will be doing instead of this newsletter (and the other things I'm putting on Hold or otherwise) is writing Uncontained, my second book with co-author Claire Pedrick. We've just released a cracking podcast episode about it:

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In the run-up to the release of our two books later this year, I'll be focusing some of my efforts on my other newsletter, Lens Not Label (weekly insights and tips about people who think differently, for those who want to see differently).

And of course, coaching! That stays at the top of my list.

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I'd love to hear what you make of any of this. I'll be here all summer, please get in touch anytime.

Present and paused,
Kim

PS. Please stay subscribed if you'd like to join me in this summer holding pattern. And sign up for Kim Scaravelli's excellent newsletter, too. You'll get nothing from either of us until at least September!

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If you have been enjoying this newsletter, here are three quick ways you might support me: share a thought, send me a pebble, or forward this email to a friend and encourage them to sign up:

Turn overthinking into expert thinking

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If you're not getting heard in your organisation, or you want to support others to feel heard too, we wrote Lens Not Label to help you with exactly that.

Out this November, Lens Not Label is a conversational guide for managers, leaders and coaches for working more effectively with neurodivergent thinkers. Pre-order now to ensure it's in your hot hands this autumn.

If you're a neurodivergent thinker yourself, our companion book, Uncontained, is for you. Available 1 December 2026.

For weekly updates on both books, plus tips on how to work with neurodivergent people more effectively, I've just launched another newsletter over at lensnotlabel.com​

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Hi! I'm Kim and there’s nothing that breaks my heart more than seeing a really smart, caring person overthink themselves to inaction. And I should know. I’ve spent nearly five decades overthinking absolutely everything. Here's how I made sense of it all.

If you want inner clarity that translates to clear messaging that gets heard and actioned, let's talk!​