> Feeling burnt out? Subscribe to my Everyday Self-Care Newsletter for self-care tips and doable habits that support your well-being.
When your focus disappears, everything starts to feel harder. Simple tasks take longer. You keep rereading the same sentence. You walk into a room and forget why. Your thoughts bounce around without landing anywhere helpful.
It’s easy to assume the answer is more effort. More caffeine. More discipline. But focus doesn’t always come from pushing harder. Sometimes, the real fix is giving your mind room to settle.
If you’ve been struggling to concentrate, try this five-minute reset. It’s simple. You don’t need anything special. And you can do it almost anywhere.
Start by stepping away from whatever you’re doing. Close the laptop. Put the phone down. Stand up if you’ve been sitting. Move to a different part of the room, or go outside if you can.
Then sit down again and do nothing.
No scrolling. No planning. No fixing.
Just sit. Let your eyes rest on something still. Breathe without trying to control it. Let your shoulders drop a little. Let your jaw loosen. Let your thoughts keep moving if they want to. You’re not trying to empty your mind. You’re just not chasing anything for a moment.
Let yourself be still for five minutes. Set a timer if you like. Or just count slowly in your head. The goal isn’t to relax perfectly. The goal is to pause the momentum that’s pulling your focus away.
When the five minutes are up, notice what feels different. You might not feel fully refreshed. But often, something shifts. Your breathing slows. Your thoughts feel less scattered. You feel just a little more able to begin again.
That small reset can be enough to bring your focus back.
When your mind is overworked or overstimulated, it doesn’t need more pressure. It needs a break. A quiet place to land. Even five minutes can help.
So if you can’t focus today, don’t fight your way through it. Step back. Sit still. Let your mind catch up.
Then return to what matters, one thing at a time.
