The Mindset Shift That Saved Me from Burnout (And Helped Me Focus Again)

Day 11 of 30 – Shrinking your Circle of Concern to expand your Circle of Influence

Author

Selim Uysal
June 11, 2025

Hi friend,

There’s a mental model I keep coming back to, especially on days when everything feels outside my control.

It comes from Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits:

The Circle of Concern includes everything you care about.

and

The Circle of Influence includes everything you can actually affect.

Most of us spend our time in the wrong one.

Worrying about the news, client budgets, social media algorithms, our competitors, or what someone said on Slack.

But here’s the truth:

When you put your attention on things you can’t influence, your power shrinks.

When you focus on things you can, your influence grows.

That’s the shift that separates reactive workers from proactive creators.

🧠 Shrinking the Right Circle

Lately, I’ve been asking myself:

“Is this something I can control or just something I’m reacting to?”

When I notice my mind drifting to outcomes I can’t shape like why engagement is down, or why a client ghosted, I return to this:

  • Did I write today?

  • Did I follow up with value?

  • Did I ship something small?

That’s where growth happens, not in trying to control everything, but in controlling how I show up.

🤖 Try This AI Prompt to Clarify Your Circles

Next time you feel overwhelmed, ask ChatGPT:

“Here are 10 things I’m thinking about today. Which ones belong in my Circle of Concern and which ones belong in my Circle of Influence? Help me reframe my focus.”

Or:

“Help me turn these 3 concerns into 3 concrete next steps I can take today.”

📬 Want more mindset prompts like this?

→ Catch up on previous posts: productiveknowledgeworker.com (You’ll also get my list of top productivity tools!)

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P.S. ✍️ Want to build a newsletter or educational email course that expands your Circle of Influence, without burning out?

DM me “influence” and I’ll help you build a writing system that makes your work visible and valuable.

P.P.S. Want to start your own newsletter but not sure how to structure it?

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Thanks for reading!

Selim