The Secretary produces sticky notes all day. Sticky Note Check is a short way to read one more carefully.
Step 1 — Write the note
Use the actual sentence. They are angry with me. I will fail. Something is wrong. I cannot handle this. Do not improve it. Capture what the Secretary actually wrote.
Step 2 — Label the type
Is this mainly: an observation? a memory? an interpretation? a prediction? a rule? an identity statement? Several can overlap. The label simply creates distance.
Step 3 — What supports it?
What evidence is actually available? Not what might be true. What is known?
Step 4 — What is missing?
What would you need to know before the note became a fact? Could another explanation fit the same information?
Step 5 — What is Security doing with this note?
Has the system started monitoring? Avoiding? Seeking reassurance? Preparing for conflict? The behavior around the thought can reveal how much authority the note has received.
Step 6 — Principal decision
Choose one: Act on it. Investigate it. Keep it as a possibility. Return to it later. Let it pass. The goal is not to replace the note with a positive one. It is to put the Principal back in the reading chair.
Read the note. Check the evidence. Then decide how much authority it deserves.
A familiar moment
The note I will ruin this appears before you submit a piece of work. Naming it as a prediction does not make it disappear. It does stop the note from becoming the only person in the Principal's Office.
Related: The Secretary · Overthinking · Beliefs · Feeling Stuck · Thoughts Are Sticky Notes, Not Facts