Key Takeaways
The feeling
- A day began with a blunt line: life felt unbearable, and the mood was raw.
The method
- A simple A-or-B script narrowed chaos into one choice at a time, with no extra options.
The turning points
- Food came first, then one tiny act of order, then a planned sleep cycle with alarms, then a clean restart.
The open loop
- The last blocker was practical: leaving home felt heavy because the needed items were unclear.
Story & Details
What this is about
This piece is about a small method called the A/B check-in: two choices only, repeated until the next move becomes clear. In December 2025, it was used in the middle of a day that felt like pure overload.
When everything is noise
The day opened with a hard truth in plain words: the limit had been reached. The world felt like chaos. Not a puzzle to solve. Not a mood to “work through.” Just chaos.
So the frame stayed tight. Two choices, then stop. Outside pressure or inside pressure. The answer landed on outside pressure: unfinished tasks. Then another fork: work life or home life. Home life carried more weight. Not people drama. Practical tasks. Too many of them, each one small, but together like a wall.
The energy was low. Ten minutes felt out of reach. Two minutes also felt out of reach. The body asked for a stop, not a sprint. The mind wanted one clean sentence: the tasks were creating panic.
First relief: the body, not the calendar
Before any plan, hunger took the lead. Something simple was available. The goal was tiny on purpose: two bites, no screen, just enough to change the signal. After that, the pressure dropped a little. Not a miracle. A small shift that mattered.
Then the method returned to its heart: one easy thing, not five. One box, in its place, within a few steps. Thirty seconds. Done. The chaos eased again, just a little, but in the right direction.
Sleep as a tool, not a defeat
The next conflict was sharp: sleep was needed, but sleep also felt risky. The fear was simple: if the body relaxed, it would fall asleep, and if it fell asleep, nothing would get done.
The choice became a sleep choice, not a surrender. A full sleep cycle was selected: about ninety minutes. Two alarms were set, with a backup alarm placed far away to force movement. Water was taken before lying down. One rule was held tightly: no decisions on waking, only feet on the floor.
When waking came, clarity was better. Water followed. Then the smallest kind of order returned: three quick moves, then stop. A shower came next, not rushed. After that, the body felt more awake.
Work life returns, but the task is physical
The next pressure point was work or study. It was not a computer task. It was physical. It required leaving home.
The hardest part was not the thing outside. It was getting ready. Even gathering basics felt blocked. The final snag was not laziness, not fear of people, not a missing device. It was simpler than that: uncertainty about what to bring.
Mini Dutch lesson
In the Netherlands (Europe), short everyday Dutch can carry big feelings in few words. One useful phrase for a breaking point is: “Ik ben er klaar mee.” It is common and direct, often said when patience is gone.
A very simple sense is: a person is done with it. Word by word: “Ik” means “I.” “ben” means “am.” “er” is a small pointer like “there” that often appears in fixed phrases. “klaar” is “ready.” “mee” is “with.” The tone can sound blunt, so it fits moments of real strain.
Conclusions
What changed the day
The day did not change through a big plan. It changed through a narrow doorway: hunger handled first, one object put away, then a sleep cycle treated like equipment, not failure.
Why the method held
Two choices at a time reduced the mental load. The body got what it needed, the mind stopped chasing a perfect plan, and a fresh wake-up became possible.
What remains true
Even after a cleaner restart, one real-life detail still mattered: leaving home is easier when the “exit kit” is obvious.
Selected References
Sleep and naps
[1] https://www.sleepfoundation.org/stages-of-sleep
[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/napping/art-20048319
[3] https://www.thensf.org/the-benefits-of-napping/
Breathing and stress
Video
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cXGt2d1RyQ
Appendix
Alarm
An alarm is a timed signal used to mark a boundary, like the end of a nap or a reminder to move.
A/B check-in
An A/B check-in is a two-option prompt that reduces choices to one decision, made repeatedly until a next step appears.
Binary choice
A binary choice is a choice with only two options.
Decision fatigue
Decision fatigue is the feeling of mental wear that can grow after many choices, making later choices harder.
Exit kit
An exit kit is the small set of essentials needed to leave home, gathered in one place.
Feet on the floor
Feet on the floor is a simple wake-up action that starts movement before thinking starts.
Grogginess
Grogginess is a heavy, foggy feeling that can happen after waking, especially from deeper sleep.
Hunger cue
A hunger cue is the body’s signal that food is needed, often felt as low focus, irritability, or shakiness.
Nap
A nap is a short sleep taken in the day, sometimes planned to restore alertness.
Pending tasks
Pending tasks are unfinished duties that stay open and keep pressure on attention.
Sleep cycle
A sleep cycle is a repeating pattern of sleep stages that often averages around ninety minutes in adults.
Sleep inertia
Sleep inertia is the slow, confused feeling after waking that can be stronger when waking from deep sleep.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 