Letting Go of the List

Hey there,

September brings that familiar wave: new routines, longer lists, the quiet pressure to “get back on track.” This month, we are practicing one thing: letting go of the list. Not abandoning responsibility. Just releasing the lie that the list defines your worth.

You are not behind. You are right here.

Letting go of the List

Raihana’s Rewind

Last week I wrote out everything I “should” have done that day. Fourteen items. I completed three.

My first thought: “I wasted the day.”

Then I paused. In those hours, I held my daughter through a meltdown. I showed up fully for a client. I moved my body for 10 minutes. None of those were on the list. All of them mattered.

The list is a guide, not a judge. This month, I am treating it that way.

Your Reflection (Journal Prompt)

Set a timer for 3 minutes. Write without editing.

Prompt: What is on your mental “should” list right now? Write it all down. Then circle only what aligns with who you want to be this season. Cross out the rest. How does it feel to let them go?

Your Moment to Pause (Breathing Exercise)

The 4-4-6 Breath (60 seconds, anywhere)

Inhale through your nose for 4 counts
Hold gently for 4 counts
Exhale slowly through your mouth for 6 counts

Repeat 3 times. Shoulders drop. The list can wait.

Words That See You

I know what it feels like to end the day and think, “I did not do enough.”

The invisible labor. The scheduling, the remembering, the emotional weight of holding everyone together.

Here is what I want you to hear: The list will never be done. It was never designed to be finished. But you were designed to live, not just to execute.

You are not a task manager. You are a whole person.

Now that you have taken a moment for yourself, here is what’s coming up this month if you’d like to expand that moment further.

What’s Happening at RAA (September)

Event	Date	Format	Sign Up
Recess	Sat, Sept 12	In-Person	Join
Inward Hour	Wed, Sept 23	Virtual	Join
Play Lab (Ropes in the Park)	Sat, Sept 26	In-Person	Join

RAA Talks Podcast

New episodes every two weeks. Stories from women navigating the same tension you feel, between ambition and peace, doing and being.

The latest podcast features Liora, who shares her raw journey through scaling a $55M brand, facing health crisis, and finding purpose beyond the hustle.

Listen to RAA Talks →

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” — Anne Lamott

I see you. I am rooting for you. And I am holding space for the version of you that is learning to put herself back on the list.

Holding peace for you,

Raihana