One Positive Action

Set up a “Transition Ritual”:

You know that feeling when you finish one task and immediately jump into the next? You’re still thinking about the email you just sent while you're trying to focus on a phone call, or you're mentally stuck on a work problem while trying to help your kid with homework. Most of us just power through this mental lag, but it's actually making everything harder than it needs to be. Your executive function, the part of your brain that manages focus, planning, and mental flexibility, needs a moment to reset between different types of thinking.

Between tasks, especially when switching from one type of work to another (like analytical to creative, etc) set up a “transition ritual” where you take 5 minutes to do something that helps your brain switch gears. This could be stretching at your desk, taking three deep breaths, walking around the block, or even just staring out the window for a minute. Stay away from your phone though, getting sucked into the dopamine trap of scrolling might make you think you’re decompressing for the next task, but it actually makes task switching even harder. Whatever you pick, just be consistent and give your mind a deliberate break to process and prepare for what comes next.

Once you’ve made taking a transition ritual a habit, you'll notice you can focus better on each task, your stress levels will drop and you’ll make fewer mistakes as you’re not trying to juggle multiple things at once. For those of you who say “But I’m great at multitasking!” No, you’re not. I’m sorry but it’s true. Working on multiple tasks at once doesn’t let you apply your full attention to any one task. It’s best to finish, take a break and tackle the next. This also gives you the benefit of little moments of actual calm peppered throughout your day.

Today, pick two tasks that you normally do back-to-back, maybe checking email and then jumping into a project, or finishing work and immediately starting dinner. Between those two tasks, stop for 5 minutes and do something physical or mindful. Stand up and stretch, take a short walk, or just breathe deeply while looking at a spot out the window in the distance. Notice how different the second task feels when you give your brain that little break time. Once you see how much better this works, start building these mini-breaks into your whole day. Your brain will thank you for giving it time to actually transition instead of just demanding it keep up.