Today Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow period, when the planet of communication begins slowing down as it prepares to begin moving backward through the zodiac. While Mercury retrograde itself doesn’t begin until the 25th, you may begin to notice small snags and miscommunications. The more rushed and reactive you are now, the more mistakes you’ll make. The best thing you can do is to begin slowing down too, so that by the time the retrograde itself begins, you’ll be ready to move with care and communicate with intention.

Even when life is hectic and your schedule is overloaded, you manage to keep track of what’s exciting or what aligns with your bigger goals. It might be harder today to remember the ones that are boring, or that you’d simply rather not deal with. But do your best not to let the small stuff slide. Activities that seem dull in the moment could prove to be more important than you realize, so try to show up, even when you’d rather not.

Your social senses are probably sharper than ever today. Whether the group dynamic is subtly strained or the vibe in a room is simply off, nothing’s likely to get past you. The trouble is that, skilled as you are at detecting something weird is going on, you might not be quite so good at figuring out what that something means. Try not to jump to conclusions about anyone else’s inner state — they might not be feeling the way you think.

If you’re faced with a decision today, you want to consider all the angles; you worry that ignoring any of the pros or cons could turn out to be disastrous. Mostly, it’s a good approach — just remember that not all opinions or analyses are equally valuable. Some of your friends have useful advice to share, while others are only running their mouths. Listen to people who disagree with you — but maybe not all of them.

For the most part, you know your limits. You’re clear on where your natural talents lie, and you keep this in mind as you decide which goals to pursue and projects to commit to and which to bow out of. But just because you’re not good at something now doesn’t mean you couldn’t be if you worked at it. Just because you don’t currently possess a skill doesn’t mean you couldn’t pick it up. Today, remember that you still have time to learn.

You’re not usually someone to break with convention for its own sake: Why mess with norms that are working? Today, though, you might find that the established ways of doing things aren’t actually working anymore — at least not for you — and it’s time to try something different. So give yourself space to experiment. Other people might not immediately see the value of what you’re doing, but you know that you’re onto something.

Even if you’re usually good at staying focused on the task at hand, you might find your mind wandering today. Everybody seems to want something from you — even if it’s only your attention — and you might find it hard to say “no.” If you have time to spare, it could be rewarding to go with it and let your thoughts roam. But if you have work that absolutely needs to get done, you might need to remove yourself from the distraction of other people’s company so that you can finally buckle down.

It might be easy for you to get tripped up by details today. Maybe you’re spending so much energy on the small stuff that you have none left for the big issues, maybe you find yourself nitpicking everyone’s words and actions, or maybe you’ve lost the ability to distinguish the important from the trivial. Either way, your challenge today is to remember how to prioritize. Give yourself permission to let some of the small stuff slide if that’s what it takes to do the work that matters to you.

Lately, you’ve probably focused more on the bigger picture than the details of your own life. You’ve been consumed by questions about politics, the future, right and wrong — and paying less attention to your own immediate material conditions. Today, though, as your focus returns to practical, day-to-day matters, you begin to worry that you’re not earning enough money, or failing to keep up with the household chores, or spending your time in the “wrong” ways. But try not to fret: If you stay aligned with your values in the big picture, the small stuff will fall into place.

Sometimes, the biggest challenge is sorting through all the input to figure out what you really want. Today, though, you can see yourself and your desires more clearly than ever. Instead, the tricky part right now is determining how — and if — to divulge that information to others. There are times when it’s important to open up, and times when it’s wiser to keep your feelings to yourself. Think through things carefully, but trust yourself to know when the time is right.

You try to keep your emotions to yourself where you can — they’re your business, and you’re under no obligation to share them with just anyone. Today, though, you might find that you’re more transparent than usual. The more you try to hide what’s going on inside, the more others can tell that there’s something brewing beneath the surface. And while you truly don’t owe everyone in the world your secrets, opening up to a trusted few might feel surprisingly good.

There are times when you do your best thinking in isolation, free of all distractions. Other times, though, too much solitude gets in the way. Your thoughts start going in circles, and there’s nobody to point out the gaps in your logic. Today especially you’ll benefit from other people’s input. Bounce ideas off people you trust and commit to listening to their feedback, even when it’s critical. Your friends possess wisdom you don’t (and vice versa), and if you tap into it, it’ll sharpen and clarify your own ideas.

It’s important to take responsibility for your mistakes. While it can be tempting to bury your head in the sand, owning up to your missteps will be better — and cause you much less anxiety — in the long run. But today it’s equally important not to hold yourself accountable for the problems that aren’t your fault. Self-recrimination can feel strangely good in the moment, but it won’t help anyone or solve any problems, so don’t accept blame that doesn’t really belong to you.

Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.