Sophie Marie Stender

Let It Go: The Paper Toss Reset

by .  
#check-in#checkin#remote-friendly#opening
4 - 8

We live and work in turbulent times, juggling never-ending to-do lists, back-to-back meetings, and constant context switching. When people enter a meeting, they often carry mental clutter – unfinished tasks, lingering thoughts, or stress from the previous discussion.

This simple yet effective exercise helps participants mentally transition into the meeting by externalizing their distractions, physically letting them go, and creating a fresh focus for the discussion ahead. I use this whenever I sense a group (whether virtual or in-person) is distracted, overwhelmed, or coming straight from another meeting. It works well when combined with a check-in question that gets everyone speaking.

Goal

To help participants focus fully on the present meeting or workshop by offloading distracting thoughts and mentally setting them aside.

Attachments

Materials

    Instructions

    Step 1: Introduce the Activity

    "Before we dive into our session, let’s take a moment to clear our minds. Grab a piece of paper and a pen. We’re going to offload everything that’s occupying our thoughts so we can be fully present here."

    Step 2: Brain Dump (2-3 minutes)

    "For the next two (or three) minutes, write down everything that’s on your mind—tasks, worries, or unfinished thoughts. Anything that might distract you from fully focusing on this session."

    (Set a timer for 2–3 minutes. Let participants write quietly.)

    Step 3: Let It Go

    "Now comes the important part: Let’s physically let go of those distractions. On the count of three, crumple up your paper and toss it behind you!"

    (Pause for participants to do this.)

    Alternatives:
    • "If you really cannot crumple it, fold it and place it somewhere out of sight. The key is to really set or throw it aside. Once our meeting is over, you can retrieve it and refocus on what’s next—but for now, let’s be fully present here."
    • "If you really want to let go of the things on your list, feel free to tear the piece of paper up instead of crumpling it up."

    Background

    I’ve been using this exercise for years, but I can’t recall where I first encountered it.

    When asking around in my network, I did not find a source, but did get some wonderful associations and “anchor points”, that I want to share to spark creativity:

    • Marina Abramović once gave young artists/art students the task of taking photos, marking their eight highlights – and then erasing them. (Systemically speaking, things that one should let go of are also a kind of neurobiological "highlight" that one actually wants to shift out of focus.) – shared by Dr. Christian Hoffstadt
    • The anger paper trick (shared by Anna Zinsser): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-57916-z
    • The snowball fight (shared by Judith Konrad, Christine Ruppe, Jacob Chromy, and Miranda van Brück): https://www.sessionlab.com/methods/fun-with-snowballs 

    If you know a similar exercise or an original source, feel free to share in the comments!

    Comments (0) 

    Please Log in or Sign up for a FREE SessionLab account to continue.