Mercury retrograde in the 6th house

With Mercury retrograde in your sixth house, the focus is on the shape of your days. Small work tasks may go wrong: a missed email, a forgotten meeting, a spreadsheet that refuses to behave, a colleague who heard a different deadline.

Routines that once worked may suddenly stop fitting. Your exercise plan, your sleep pattern or your morning rhythm may feel off, as if the gears are slipping.

This is useful, in its way. It shows you exactly where your systems need attention. Old to-do lists resurface, and you may finally deal with the tasks you have been quietly avoiding for months. By the end of this retrograde, your week can run more smoothly than it did before.

Slow down at work. Check details twice, confirm handovers in writing and keep notes of what was agreed. Tech issues and miscommunications are common here, and a written record will save you more than once.

Slow down on overcommitting. A packed schedule leaves no room for the inevitable glitches. Leave space between tasks, and say no to the extra job you would usually squeeze in.

Slow down on overhauling your health routine, too. This is not the time for a dramatic new regime. Instead, return to a good habit you already know works for you, such as a regular walk, an earlier night or a proper lunch break. Familiar habits restart easily during a retrograde.

A sixth-house retrograde is a brilliant time for maintenance. Fix, simplify and finish.

• Clear three old tasks. Choose the jobs that have sat on your list longest, and finish them this week.
• Edit your routine. Look at an ordinary day and cut one thing that no longer helps you.
• Restart a good habit. Return to something that used to keep you well, rather than inventing a new plan.
• Tidy your digital desk. Back up work files, clear your downloads and sort your folders so things are easy to find.
• Keep a simple log. Write down what you did each day. It makes mistakes easier to trace and progress easier to see.