How long a sigil works and when to refresh it
As long as you notice it. Technically a symbol has no expiry date, but attention to it fades within one-two weeks in one place. Refresh it not by the calendar but by two signs: you’ve stopped seeing it, or the task has changed.
Two signs it’s time
- You look at the symbol and don’t recall the phrasing. The anchor has come loose.
- The intention changed: you asked about finding clients, and now the question is how not to burn out with the ones you have.
What to try before a new one
First try moving it: wallpaper → notebook, notebook → a printout on the wall. Attention often returns from the change of place alone, and no new symbol is needed.
When it’s definitely a new one
- The task is solved. Keeping the symbol of a closed matter is a way of lingering in it.
- The phrasing turned out imprecise, and you realised it along the way.
- Months have passed and life has become different.
On an intention’s lifespan
A good intention usually lives from a few weeks to a couple of months — the same span a habit change takes. If a symbol has hung for half a year and nothing moved, the symbol isn’t the problem.
Discard or keep
Retired symbols are pleasant to keep — you get something like a chronicle of what you lived by. But clear them off the workspace: only one should be active.
Say what changed — we’ll build a new one.