Posted by When I woke up this morning, I felt groggy and foggy, like a computer that had just rebooted, taking forever to get my bearings.
You’ve definitely been there—eyes wide open, but your brain hasn’t clocked in yet.
Out of habit, I reached for my phone, unlocking it while yawning. After scrolling through messages, it suddenly hit me: “Oh right, I haven’t checked today’s Leo horoscope yet.”
I opened the app—its icon, a slightly ugly lion’s head, was so conspicuous it was impossible to ignore.
What Did Cainer Say? Sounds a Bit Mystical, But There Are Three “Down-to-Earth” Tips
Today’s horoscope headline read “The Universe Is Shifting”—big words, but nothing concrete.
But scrolling down, I found three very specific suggestions labeled “Little tricks Leo can try today.”
I didn’t take it seriously at first, but since I had nothing better to do, I figured I might as well give it a shot.
Below is the entire process of what I actually did today—no exaggeration, no bias.
Tip #1: Don’t let messages “drown” you—pick one thing to tackle first
The horoscope said: “Too much information will clutter your mind. Don’t try to digest it all at once—pick one thing to start with.”
Spot on! I opened my email: 27 unread messages. Slack was full of @mentions. News alerts kept popping up on my phone.
Before, I’d panic and try to tackle everything at once. The more I looked, the more anxious I got—and ended up accomplishing nothing.
Today I decided to follow its advice: Choose just one thing, ignore the rest.
I picked the email I dreaded most—the project progress report my boss had been nagging me about for three days.
I told myself: “Just ten minutes. Only this one email.”
Result? Done in ten minutes, sent out.
The rest of the junk mail? Select all → delete. Didn’t even blink.
How did it feel?
My inbox isn’t empty, but the weight on my chest is half gone.
Not a huge accomplishment, but—so much more comfortable.
Tip #2: Drink more water? Yep, it’s that simple
I almost laughed out loud when I saw this: “Leo, remember to drink plenty of water today—it’ll help you focus.”
Seriously, water? Is this really “universal advice”?
But then I thought: I do forget to drink water all the time. By afternoon, my mouth feels like a desert, and my brain slows down.
Alright, I’ll drink.
I boiled a kettle and filled a large glass first thing.
While staring blankly at the wall, I’d unconsciously drained half the glass.
Before noon, I poured another glass and sipped it slowly.
How did it feel?
No sudden burst of intelligence or flashes of inspiration.
But—my mouth stayed moist all day, my head didn’t spin, and I didn’t doze off during meetings.
Turns out, when your body feels good, your mind naturally clears up a bit.
The simplest advice is often the most effective.
Tip Three: Stop for 60 Seconds, Do Nothing
This one surprised me most: “Find a minute to stand still, take deep breaths, and listen to the sounds around you.”
At first, I had no idea: “What can you do in a minute? Count your breaths?”
Until noon—right after a long, tedious meeting, I felt like a squeezed-dry lemon, too exhausted to speak.
Suddenly, I remembered this tip and thought, “Fine, I’ll try it. It’s only 60 seconds.“
I stood up and walked to the window.
Outside was the company parking lot, with cars coming and going, and the distant sound of buses.
I took five deep breaths—not just any breaths, but slow inhales and exhales.
I listened to the sounds of cars and wind, not blocking them out, but ”allowing myself to hear them.”
How did it feel?
No epiphany, no flash of inspiration, no resolution to life’s big questions.
But—during those 60 seconds, the “noise” in my head truly quieted.
When I sat back down, I felt less irritable and less rushed to tackle the next task.
Bottom line: No magic, but it works
Reading horoscopes didn’t land me a promotion or a lottery win.
But today, by doing these three small things:
✅ Tackling the hardest email first → Reduced anxiety
✅ Drinking enough water → Body felt better, mind clearer
✅ Stopping for 60 seconds of deep breaths → Emotions steadied, less urgency
The day actually felt easier than usual.
Real advice for you (not mysticism)
If you often:
- Wake up with a foggy mind
- Feel overwhelmed by messages and emails
- Forget to drink water, leading to afternoon drowsiness
- Feel exhausted after meetings like you ran a marathon
Then try these three steps:
- Pick one thing to do first each day—don’t overcommit—even if it takes just 10 minutes, get moving
- Pour yourself a glass of water first thing in the morning—not coffee, water! Sip it slowly, don’t wait until you’re thirsty
- When you feel tired, stand for one minute and take deep breaths—no meditation, no closing your eyes, just stand and listen to the sounds
You don’t need to believe in horoscopes or understand “cosmic energy.”
All you need is—the willingness to spend one minute being kind to yourself.
One final honest truth
These methods might seem silly, so simple you’d think, “Is this even advice?”
But it’s often these “silly methods” that gently nudge you forward when you’re most exhausted, most overwhelmed, and least inclined to move.
I’m not talking about whether horoscopes are accurate—I’m saying sometimes what we need isn’t an answer, but a gentle reminder.
Reminding you: Don’t try to devour every task at once.
Reminding you: Your body needs water.
Reminding you: Stopping for 60 seconds won’t derail your life.
I tried it today. It worked.
You can try it tomorrow—it won’t cost you anything, it won’t take much effort, and at most, it’ll waste three minutes of your time.
What if it makes your day just a little bit easier?
Bonus: My Daily Scorecard
- Email handling: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Finally didn’t procrastinate until the last minute)
- Water intake: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Two more glasses than yesterday)
- Breathing pauses: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (It genuinely made me less irritable)
- Overall feeling: More relaxed than yesterday, less tired
- Recommendation rating: 👍👍👍👍 (Worth a try)
Don’t overthink it. When you wake up tomorrow morning, pick one and just do it.
You might discover, just like I did: Change sometimes starts with one small thing.
