The Browser in Your Brain: Closing Tabs, Not Stress

0:00President Barack Obama. Virginia, we are counting on you. Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to raid the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years. But you can stop them by voting yes by April 21st. Help put our elections back on a level playing field and let voters decide not politicians. Vote yes by April 21st. Paid for by Virginians for fair elections. When you run a business, there are a lot of boxes to check. Let's see. Payroll, check. Inventory, check. Insurance. Ah. Well, good thing Simply Business makes getting small business insurance fast and easy. Just answer a few questions, review your quotes, and get covered in under 10 minutes. All online. It's that simple. Check Insurance off your list at simplybusiness.com. This is your mindful at work, daily tips for productivity and focus podcast. Hey there, I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you're here. It's Monday morning, March 9th, and I'm betting

1:04you've got that familiar flutter in your chest. You know, that feeling when your inbox is already pinging and you haven't even finished your first coffee. Today, well, today we're going to spend the next few minutes together doing something radical. We're going to actually focus, not multitask, not frantically switch between 17 tabs, just focus. So let's settle in. Find a comfortable seat, somewhere you won't be interrupted for just a few minutes. If you're at your desk, that works. If you need to step outside for this, even better. Let's take three deep breaths together. In through your nose for account of four, hold it, and out through your mouth like you're slowly releasing the tension from your shoulders. Again, one more time. Good. Now, here's what I want you to notice. Your mind is like a browser with too many tabs open right now, right? Instead of closing them all at once, which is stressful, we're going to do something gentler. I want you to

2:05imagine each thought that pops up as a cloud drifting across a blue sky. You're not trying to stop the clouds. You're not judging them. You're just watching them float by. Your job is simply to notice when your attention gets caught on one of those clouds. And gently, kindly, bring it back to the present moment. Start by anchoring yourself to something physical. Feel your feet on the floor. Feel the chair supporting you. Now, bring your attention to your breath. That steady, reliable friend that's with you all day long. Notice the cool air coming in through your nostrils and the warm air going out. That's it. If your mind wanders to your three o'clock meeting or that email you need to send, that's perfectly normal. Just notice it like you notice that cloud and come back to your breath. Five more minutes of this today, actually really present for five minutes. We'll change how you show up for the next eight hours. So here's your challenge for the work day. Pick your most important task. And before you dive in, give yourself two minutes of this practice. Just two minutes. Your brain will be clear, your focus sharper, your productivity,

3:08genuinely better. It's like defragging your hard drive before the big download. Thank you so much for joining me on Mindful at Work, daily tips for productivity and focus. If this resonated with you, please subscribe wherever you're listening. You're building something beautiful here, a more intentional, focused version of yourself. I'll see you tomorrow. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss out. Thanks for listening. President Barack Obama. Virginia, we are counting on you. Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to raid the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years. But you can stop them by voting yes by April 21st. Help put our elections back on a level playing field and let voters decide not politicians vote yes by April 21st. Paid for by Virginians for fair elections. The sun shining birds are singing and all feels right in the world. Until the season changes and suddenly you lose your motivation to get out of bed.

4:12In fact, one in five people experience some form of depression no matter the season or time of year. At the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, our vision is to build a mentally healthy nation for all because we want you to live your best life and be your best you all year round. Please visit mentallyhealthynation.org to learn more.