Clean your mental window so you can see opportunities again

You notice it most on Mondays. One snarky message, one spilled coffee, and the day feels shot. On your commute, brake lights stretch forever, and the radio drone makes the cabin feel smaller. You catch yourself predicting a bad week. The feeling is familiar—like you’re peering through a smeared pane of glass. You still see the world, but it looks dull and unfriendly.

So you test a small experiment. You scribble “Window clean” on a sticky note and slap it on your laptop. When the next curt email lands, you breathe once and whisper the words. Then you ask, “What’s one useful move?” You draft a concise reply, suggest two options, and close the tab. The coffee on your desk has gone lukewarm, but your shoulders loosen a notch.

A few days in, you start noticing wins you’d usually miss. The barista remembers your name. A teammate thanks you for clarifying a messy thread. On Wednesday, your phone buzzes during dinner; instead of spiraling, you say the words and postpone the reply until morning. Two sentences in a bedside notebook capture it: “Because of the delay, I can plan my points. Because of the traffic, I listened to that interview.” Small things, but the room feels brighter.

By the weekend, you realize the glass didn’t change, your lens did. Cognitive psychologists call this cognitive reappraisal—choosing a different interpretation to change how you feel and act. Layer it with a tiny habit loop—cue (trigger), routine (breath + reset words), reward (a single useful move)—and you gradually default to calmer, more effective responses. I might be wrong, but those two words can be the hinge that swings big doors.

For a week, catch one mood trigger a day and use a two‑word reset—“Window clean.” Pair it with one slow breath and a better thought like, “What’s one useful move?” Then write a quick “Because of this, I can…” sentence to turn the hassle into a chance to improve. At night, note three micro‑wins you noticed because you stayed clear—an easier reply, a kinder tone, a saved ten minutes. Keep it simple, consistent, and light. You’re retraining attention, not forcing positivity. Stick your sticky note where you’ll see it and give it a try tonight.