The placemat process is an Abraham Hicks exercise in which you take a sheet of paper, draw a line down the middle, and split your to-do list into two columns: “things I will do today” on one side and “things I would like the Universe to handle” on the other. Its purpose is to lift the feeling of overwhelm by handing off everything you do not need to personally push on, so you can act from ease instead of pressure.
It sounds almost too simple. When your list is longer than your day, the problem is rarely the tasks themselves. It is the tight, clenched feeling of carrying all of them at once.
Where the Placemat Process Comes From
The placemat process appears in Ask and It Is Given (2004) by Esther and Jerry Hicks, the book that gathers twenty-two practical processes from the Abraham teachings into one place. It sits alongside better-known exercises such as the rampage of appreciation, the Book of Positive Aspects, and Segment Intending. Each process is meant for a particular emotional range, and the placemat process is aimed at the moments when you feel busy, stretched thin, or behind — when you are not in despair, but you are definitely not relaxed.
The name comes from the idea of writing the list on whatever is in front of you, even the paper placemat on a restaurant table. The point is that it does not require a special journal, a ritual, or a quiet hour. It requires a piece of paper and about five minutes of honesty about what is really yours to do today.
The idea underneath it is central to the broader law of attraction framework that Abraham Hicks teaches: action taken from a feeling of struggle tends to produce more struggle, while action taken from alignment feels lighter and goes further. The placemat process is a practical bridge between those two states. You do not stop taking action; you simply stop trying to take all of it yourself.
How to Do the Placemat Process Step by Step
You need a blank sheet of paper and a pen. A notes app works in a pinch, but handwriting tends to slow the mind enough to make the sorting feel real.
- Draw a line down the center. Label the left column “Things I will do today” and the right column “Things I would like the Universe to handle.” Some people prefer “Things I want the Universe to do” — the wording matters less than the feeling of relief it gives you.
- Brain-dump everything. Before sorting, list every task, worry, errand, and open loop in your head. Include the small stuff (return the library book) and the big, vague stuff (figure out what to do about my career).
- Sort with one question. For each item ask: “Is this something I can and want to take clear action on today?” If yes, it goes on the left. If no — because it is not today’s job, depends on someone else, or is simply too big to solve by effort — it goes on the right.
- Keep the left column short. Aim for a list you could genuinely complete while feeling good. Three to six items is plenty for most days.
- Hand over the right column on purpose. Read the right-hand list once and consciously release it. You might say to yourself, “These are being handled. I will know when there is something for me to do.”
- Do the left column with attention. Work through your short list one task at a time, without mentally reaching into the other column.
The magic is not in the paper; it is in the permission to stop holding everything at once.
What to Put in Each Column
Most people get stuck on the sorting, so here is a practical way to think about it.
The “I Will Do” column
These are tasks that are concrete, within your control, and doable today. Good examples: reply to the three client emails, take a thirty-minute walk, pay the electricity bill, draft the first page of the report, call the dentist to book an appointment. Notice that each one has a clear finish line. If an item is fuzzy, break it into its first physical step and put only that step here.
The “Universe, please handle this” column
These are the things that are outside your direct control, not yet ripe, or simply too heavy to solve by effort alone. Examples:
- Find the right buyer for the house.
- Help my son settle in at his new school.
- Bring me the perfect idea for the presentation.
- Smooth things over between me and my sister.
- Show me the next step with my finances.
- Get the traffic moving so I arrive on time.
Writing an item on the right does not mean you will never act on it. It means you stop gripping it today. Often an inspired idea, a phone call, or an obvious next step shows up later, and at that point it moves naturally into a future “I will do” column.
Why the Placemat Process Works
You can understand this process through a spiritual lens, a psychological lens, or both.
From the Abraham Hicks perspective, the key is resistance. When you look at a long list and feel pressure, that feeling is a signal that you are focused against what you want. Handing items to the Universe releases that resistance, which in their teaching allows things to unfold with more ease and synchronicity. It echoes their broader idea that you are the one who does the asking and the feeling-good, and that the “how” is not yours to micromanage.
From a practical perspective, the process is a very efficient form of cognitive offloading. Unfinished tasks tend to keep circulating in the mind, which is part of why a crowded list feels exhausting even before you start. Writing them down closes that loop, and deliberately deciding “not today” lets the mind stop rehearsing them. If you often find yourself replaying the same concerns at night, this pairs well with the techniques in our guide on how to stop overthinking.
There is also a focus benefit. A short list of five things is far easier to do well than a list of twenty-five things you are half-attending to. Productivity methods like the Pomodoro technique work partly for the same reason: they shrink your field of attention to something manageable.
A Real-World Example
Imagine a Monday morning. Maya runs a small design studio and wakes up with a head full of noise: two deadlines, a late invoice from a client, a leaking kitchen tap, a friend’s birthday, worry about slow bookings next month, and a vague feeling that she should be posting more on social media.
Her placemat looks like this:
I will do today: finish the logo revisions for client A; send a polite reminder about the unpaid invoice; call a plumber and book a slot; send a birthday message and order a small gift.
Universe, please handle: bring new bookings for next month; get the invoice paid quickly and warmly; give me an easy content idea for social media; help me find a good rhythm for the week.
Nothing on the right side is ignored forever. But on Monday, Maya only carries four actions. By Wednesday a past client emails asking for a new project, and a content idea arrives while she is on a walk. Whether you see that as synchronicity or simply a calmer mind noticing opportunities, the result is the same: less strain, better work.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Putting everything on the left. If your “I will do” column is still twenty items long, you have rewritten your stress, not released it. Be ruthless.
- Using the right column to avoid responsibility. Paying a bill you can pay today is not the Universe’s job. The process is about releasing what is not yours to push on, not dodging what is.
- Checking the right column anxiously. If you keep glancing at it to see whether it has “worked yet,” you have picked it back up. Once you hand it over, leave it alone for the day.
- Writing it with dread. This is meant to feel like exhaling. If a particular item makes you tense no matter which column it sits in, that is a sign to soothe your feelings about it first — a few minutes of appreciation or a walk can help.
- Doing it once and forgetting it. The process works best as a light daily or weekly habit rather than an emergency measure.
Placemat Process vs Other Abraham Hicks Processes
It helps to know which tool fits which moment.
- Placemat process: best when you feel busy, overloaded, or behind. It deals with the volume of what is on your mind.
- Rampage of appreciation: best when you already feel reasonably good and want to build momentum. It deals with mood, by stacking appreciative thoughts.
- The 68 second rule: best when you want to focus clearly on one desire. It deals with intensity of focus.
- Scripting: best when you want to feel your desire as already real. It deals with imagination.
A natural rhythm is to start the morning with a placemat to clear the load, then use a short appreciation practice to lift your mood before you begin the first task on your list.
Making the Placemat Process a Daily Habit
The simplest way to stick with it is to attach it to something you already do.
- With your morning coffee: Five minutes, one sheet of paper, before you open email.
- At the end of the workday: Make tomorrow’s placemat so you can switch off in the evening without a mental list following you around.
- Sunday planning: Do a weekly version, then a quick daily one that pulls items from it.
- In your journal: If you keep a manifestation journal, give the placemat its own page each day so you can look back and notice how many right-column items resolved themselves.
That last point is worth taking seriously. After two or three weeks, flip back through your pages and mark every right-hand item that worked out without you forcing it. Most people are surprised by the number. That evidence makes it much easier to trust the process the next time a busy day arrives.
Who the Placemat Process Is Best For
The placemat process is particularly helpful for people who carry a lot of mental load: parents managing a household, business owners, caregivers, students during exam season, and anyone who tends to feel responsible for everything and everyone. It is also a gentle entry point for people who are skeptical of manifestation language. You do not have to believe anything in particular to benefit from writing a shorter list and deciding, deliberately, what you will not carry today.
If you are dealing with serious stress, anxiety, or burnout, treat it as one supportive tool alongside rest, practical help, and professional support where needed — not a replacement for them. Used that way, a single sheet of paper split down the middle can be a surprisingly effective way to make your day feel lighter, clearer, and more your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the placemat process in Abraham Hicks?
It is a process from Ask and It Is Given where you divide a sheet of paper into two columns. One column lists the things you will personally do today, and the other lists the things you want the Universe to handle. The aim is to release overwhelm so you act from ease rather than pressure.
How often should I do the placemat process?
Most people get the best results doing it once a day, usually in the morning or the evening before. A weekly version on Sunday can also help, with a short daily list pulled from it. Treat it as a light habit rather than something saved for emergencies.
What should go in the Universe column?
Put items that are outside your direct control, not yet ready for action, or too big to solve by effort alone. Examples include finding the right buyer, getting a new idea, or smoothing a relationship. Anything you can clearly act on today, such as paying a bill, belongs in your own column.
Does the placemat process mean I stop taking action?
No. You still take action on the short list in your own column, and often do it better because you are less scattered. Items in the Universe column frequently turn into clear next steps later, at which point they move onto a future action list.
Do I need to believe in the law of attraction for it to work?
Not necessarily. Even without any spiritual framework, writing your tasks down, shortening your action list, and consciously deciding what not to carry today reduces mental load. The spiritual interpretation adds meaning for those who resonate with it, but the practical benefits stand on their own.
