How I Finally Stopped Feeling So Dumb Every Damn Day
Okay look. I’d sit down at my laptop ready to crush work, then suddenly—poof—my brain felt like scrambled eggs. Just staring at the screen thinking “what the actual heck was I gonna do?” Happened way too often. Decided enough was enough. Went full mad scientist mode testing random fixes.
Trick 1: Writing EVERY LITTLE THING Down
Grabbed a pack of sticky notes. Not fancy ones—dollar store crap. Stuck them EVERYWHERE:
- On my coffee mug: “Drink water too dummy”
- Laptop corner: “Check email FIRST”
- Door handle: “Keys? Wallet? PHONE?”
Felt ridiculous slapping notes like “Make food???” on the fridge. But here’s the thing—my brain stopped holding simple tasks hostage. Didn’t need to remember squat. Liberating. And cheap.
Trick 2: Setting Stupidly Easy Goals
Started setting goals like:
- “Just open Word doc. Don’t even type.”
- “Spend 3 mins looking at bank statement. Run away after if scared.”
Used a jar of dry beans. Finished one dumb little task? Toss a bean in. Saw beans pile up—felt like a productivity wizard even though yesterday I got a bean for “remembered to charge phone”. Sounds pathetic but my lizard brain loved it. Beans don’t judge.
Trick 3: Admitting I Knew Nothing Out Loud
This one hurt. Called my sister Sarah: “Explain it to me like I’m five—how do grocery coupons even work?” Spent 10 mins saying “wait, say that slower” while she walked me through obvious stuff. Felt warm face of shame burning. But after? Didn’t pretend anymore. Started googling basic definitions publicly—no incognito mode hiding. Weirdly… the more I admitted confusion, less “dumb” I felt. Like shedding heavy coat.
Where This Left Me
Do I feel genius now? Heck no. But sticky notes keep me moving, bean jar gives that little “good job idiot” boost, and publicly asking obvious questions—that stopped the shame spiral. Still forget why I walk into rooms. Still google “how to attach file to email” sometimes. But the “I’m so stupid” voice? Mostly just whispers now. And that’s good enough for me.
