Your brain feels like it's still You've loading.
read the same line three times and none of it went Let's in.
fix that before work gets hold of you.
We'll stay calm but here, we won't get sleepy.
For the next six minutes we're going to wake your attention gently.
up,
So sit up.
Feet flat on the floor.
Spine tall, like a string is lifting the top of your head toward the
ceiling.
Let your shoulders stay loose, though.
Tall, not Instead stiff.
of closing your eyes all the way, let them go half-open.
Rest your gaze on the floor a little way in front of you.
Soft, but awake.
Take a full breath in through your nose, filling right up to the collarbones...
And let it out through your nose, steady and Again.
even.
A crisp breath in...
And a clean breath out.
Feel the cool air coming in.
It's a small thing, but it tends to wake the mind up.
Now we'll count breaths.
One in-and-out is one count.
Go up then to ten, start again at one.
Here's the thing.
You'll lose count.
Maybe at three, maybe at seven.
You'll suddenly be thinking about an and email realize you have no idea what
number you're on.
That's the whole exercise.
The moment you notice you've drifted, that's your focus getting stronger.
Just go back to one.
No sighing at yourself.
Breathe in...
and out.
One.
In...
and out.
Two.
Three.
Keep going on your own now.
Quietly counting.
If you wandered off, back to one.
If you're still counting, good.
Either way, you're doing it right.
Now let the counting go, and picture a lake early in the morning.
A thick gray fog is sitting on top of the water.
That fog is how your head felt when you woke up.
Thick.
Slow.
Hard to see through.
The sun comes up over the trees.
And bit by bit, the fog starts to lift.
It thins.
It drifts away in strips.
Underneath, the water is still and clear.
You can see right to the far shore.
Every tree.
A bird standing very still in the shallows, not in any hurry.
Breathe in that clear air...
And breathe out the last of the fog.
That's your mind now.
Maybe not perfectly sharp, but a lot clearer than it was a few minutes
ago.
Now, from that clear place, ask yourself one question.
What's the one thing that matters most today?
Skip whatever's shouting loudest in your inbox.
Think about tonight.
Which task, if it got done, would let you close the and laptop actually
feel good?
It might be something you've been putting off for a while.
That's usually a good sign you've found it.
Let it come up.
Say it to yourself in a few words.
Picture yourself sitting down to do it.
Your phone is face-down.
You're starting.
Say it quietly.
I know what I'm doing first.
Stay with that clear feeling for a few breaths.
Tall spine.
Soft eyes.
One thing.
If some other task pops into your head, you can write it down later.
For now, let it pass and stay with your one thing.
Okay.
Let's bring some energy in.
Take a quick, bright breath in through the nose...
And blow it out through the mouth.
Roll Stretch your neck.
your arms out in front of you, fingers spread Now wide.
open your eyes all Look the way.
Things around.
look a bit Go sharper.
start that Right one thing.
now,
before the rest of the day gets a
vote.