This month, the phrase open loops kept finding me.
It showed up in client conversations. On my own to-do list. Even in a newsletter right in my inbox.
When something shows up three times, I treat it as a signal.
Open loops are not productivity issues.
They are pressure points that quietly strain your revenue, decisions, and focus.
Ignore them long enough, and they turn into chaos.
The Cluttered Sink
In a recent newsletter that landed in my inbox, the writer used the image of a cluttered sink and explained that how we leave our physical space is often a reflection of our mental state or internal habit loops (ie Open Loops).
That image of the cluttered sink turned my thoughts immediately to Marla Cilley, The FlyLady and the very first lesson I learned from her which is so simple:
Shine your sink.
- Not reorganize the house.
- Not repaint the walls.
- Not buy new storage bins.
- Clean the sink.
I have followed The FlyLady for over 20 years. And I can tell you this: when my kitchen sink fills up, clutter spreads fast. Counters pile up. Papers land. Laundry creeps in…all the things.
Before long, I am living in what she calls CHAOS — Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome.
It is not about dishes.
It is about one unfinished thing multiplying into mental and physical clutter.
That is exactly how open loops behave in your business.
What an Open Loop Really Is
An open loop is anything started but not decided.
- The offer you have not clarified
- The boundary you have not enforced
- The system you know needs fixing
- The email you reread but do not answer
It is not dramatic.
It is unfinished.
And unfinished things compound.
One undefined offer turns into inconsistent messaging.
Inconsistent messaging creates hesitant selling.
Hesitant selling produces inconsistent revenue.
It spreads quietly until you feel scattered and behind.
The Real Cost
Open loops cost you in three ways:
Time
You revisit the same decision over and over.
Money
You delay proposals. Underprice. Avoid visibility because your message feels fuzzy.
Mental energy
Even when you are not working on it, your brain is.
That low-level friction makes everything heavier.
You are not lazy.
You are overloaded with unfinished decisions.
Shine the Sink in Your Business
Closing a loop is not about doing everything.
It is about deciding something.
When the sink is clean, the kitchen feels calmer even if the pantry is still messy.
In business, shining the sink might look like:
- Finalizing one offer description
- Saying no to a misaligned inquiry
- Creating one clear onboarding checklist
- Deleting ideas you are not pursuing this year
You do not fix the whole business.
You close one loop.
Clarity creates momentum.
Momentum reduces chaos.
The Pattern I See
When clients come to me feeling scattered, they assume they need:
- A new strategy
- More marketing
- A better tool
- A new piece of tech
Most of the time, they do not need more strategy or a new piece of tech.
They need fewer open loops.
Their business is not broken.
It is cluttered.
My role is to help them identify the real “cluttered sink”, clear it, and put simple systems in place so it does not pile up again.
We simplify.
We decide.
We close.
The business feels lighter without adding anything new.
Start Here
Do not overhaul your entire business.
Identify your version of a cluttered sink.
Ask:
- What unfinished decision keeps nagging me?
- What feels small but persistently irritating?
- What would done look like?
Choose one loop. Close it today.
- Send the email.
- Clarify the offer.
- Archive the idea.
- Set the boundary.
Because when the sink is clear, everything else feels manageable.
The goal is not perfection.
It is no more business CHAOS.
And with that, I am going to wash a few dishes.
Loop closed.