It’s that time of the year again!
For some people, just hearing the words “Mercury retrograde” is enough to conjure up astro-anxiety stemming from anticipated visions (or actual memories) of a broken iPhone, lost data, and/or communications gone awry. What’s less well known about this ominous astrological time period is that it’s one that also offers up a bevy of opportunities to refine and redirect creative projects, relationships, and shared understandings.
To help you navigate its challenges and also benefit from its potential boons, I’ve crafted a list of seven Mercury Retrograde maxims that can help entrepreneurs and freelancers not only sail through with less stress but also take advantage of what this period has to offer.
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Do “re-“ activities. Because we get to see things from a whole new lens, Mercury Retrograde is an amazing time to rewrite, re-edit, revise, reorganize, et al. Put “re”- at the beginning of any communication activity and discover the great new insights that this time period can offer.
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Be diligent with communication. If it’s not 100% clear what a client or colleague has shared, ask for clarification. Even if it takes extra time and effort on the front end to do so, it will be worth it for all the time and effort (and hassles) you may save yourself on the back end.
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Be cautious about new announcements. While Mercury Retrograde is a great time to revise or recommunicate something, it isn’t necessarily the best time to send out the initial broadcast of a new message since people’s attentions are often scattered and your message may be lost on them. If you must launch a new project during this time, just pay extra attention to the details and consider that some sort of rebroadcast may be required later.
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Leave extra travel time to get to meetings. You may be bringing your Mercury Retrograde “A” Game to all you do, but other commuters and the general traffic flow may not be. It’s good to follow the better-safe-(and-early)-than-sorry axiom during these three weeks.
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Treat your tech gear and transport vehicles with TLC. For some reason, perhaps only explainable by the ineffable world of synchronicity, computers, printers, phones, cars, and other Mercury-ruled objects seem to be more on-the-fritz susceptible during this time. So, take care when using and handling them. And of course, follow the Mercury Retrograde golden rule of backing up your hard drive.
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Dot your I’s and cross your T’s. Pay extra attention to the actual and proverbial fine print during this time. Re-read emails before sending or replying. Choose your words carefully. Go over a presentation an additional time before the big meeting. This may help you catch something that could have otherwise fallen off your momentary radar.
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Do “spring cleaning” regardless of the season we’re in. Since our abilities to reassess, reevaluate, and reconsider are heightened during Mercury Retrograde, it’s a great time to clean our closets, drawers, filing systems, et al. We can see all the things we’ve stored away from a different perspective, which can help us to organize them in a way that can better serve our aims.
