How To Improve your Focus, Productivity, and Energy In Just 5 Minutes

The other day, I got in a fight with a can of tomato sauce. 

I was trying to cook some pasta for dinner with a hangry toddler underfoot, and the damn can just wouldn’t open. I tried the warm water trick, I tried tapping it with a knife. Nothing. 

Meanwhile, the hangry cries were getting louder. I broke down and started yelling at the can while beating it with my knife. Me, a grown 39-year old woman, in a violent fight with a can of tomato sauce. Of course, this made matters worse with said hangry toddler. I started crying myself. Then I caved and gave her a snack. And of course, 2 seconds later the lid finally popped off the can. 

Have you ever gotten to the end of a day and just been like, “What the fuck was that?” 

What did I actually achieve?

I’m so far behind!

That day just killed me.

I’m exhausted.

The day of the fight with the can of tomato sauce was a shitty one. I wake up in the morning and the first thing I do is check my phone, only to see a stressful email. My mind starts whirling. I get on the hamster wheel and drag myself out of bed after scrolling through meaningless Facebook posts. I brush my teeth absent-mindedly while thinking about how to deal with that stressful email, what I am going to make my kid for lunch today, and mentally practicing for an important meeting I have in the afternoon.

I drag myself to the coffee machine but before it’s done brewing I hear my daughter crying in her crib. I leave the coffee and rush upstairs to change a blowout poop. It’s all over my hands. It’s all over her. I want to cry.

Eventually, we get cleaned up and fed, and I pack her up and head to daycare for dropoff. I kiss her goodbye and take a deep breath. Freedom for 9 hours! But shit, it’s already 9 am and I have so much to get done today. By this point, I’ve already been awake for 2 hours and have accomplished nothing.

I hurry back home after walking the dog. I microwave my coffee and immediately sit down in front of my computer. I start tackling items on my to do list, but then I get another stressful email,  a phone call, a text message from my partner…. I am distracted. I begin to feel harried. I get a few things done but it’s not enough.

I grab lunch from the fridge and plop back down in front of my computer. I power through. Checking boxes off the list, but no matter what I do the list seems to never get smaller. What kind of list is this? A nefarious, demonic, dark-magic list that adds another task each time I complete one?  

My meeting gets canceled at the last minute. I’m annoyed but also relieved. It’s now 3 pm and I am drowning. I feel so tired. If only I could close my eyes for a few minutes. But I can’t because I only have another hour and a half before I have to get my daughter from daycare and I still haven’t accomplished everything on my demon list!

I microwave more coffee. I eat a piece of chocolate to activate my blood sugar. I manage to bang out a few more tasks. I look at the clock and it’s already 4:45. Holy crap, I have to go! No time to prep dinner. 

And that, my friends, is what led to the fight with the can of tomato sauce. 

So, what did I learn from this? Well, first of all, prepping dinner in advance before hangry toddler is home is ALWAYS better, even if it means picking her up a few minutes later. And secondly, always open the jar of tomato sauce before you start cooking. 

The Straw That Broke The Camel’s Back

But the truth is, it wasn’t about the can of tomato sauce. That was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. The real problem is a much bigger one. 

It wasn’t about planning in advance (although I do recommend this). I did that, but things still came up. It was about the fact that I went through my entire day like a chicken with its head cut off. Totally un-mindfully and unintentionally. I didn’t stop to take a break, a breath, or ask my body and soul what it really needed. I bought into the false belief that hard work is the only way to get shit done and succeed. 

I know better than this. 

If any of this story resonated with you, I’d like to share with you a very simple tool that I use in my life to go about my day intentionally, be more focused, more productive, less stressed, and more joyful.

It’s called mindfulness meditation.

And just 5 minutes of mindfulness meditation a day can change your life.

Mindfulness itself is simply put: “moment-to-moment non-judgmental awareness.” In essence, it’s kind of a misnomer, because mindfulness is really “mindlessness.” It’s letting go of thoughts, judgments, and the ticker tape in your head to just exist in and experience the present moment.

Mindfulness can be challenging, especially for high achieving women in Western culture. We are always thinking, always on the go, always DOING. 

Meditation is one tool that you can use to flex your mindfulness skills. It’s kind of like going to the gym. The more you do it, the better you get at it. Even doing a simple 5 minute mindfulness meditation on a daily basis can create a huge shift in your life.

If you are at all skeptical, don’t just take my word for it. Mindfulness meditation is actually evidence-based. Studies have shown that mindfulness meditation can improve sleep, lower stress levels, decrease loneliness, improve attention, prevent depression, and regulate emotions in crisis. There are also physical benefits to mindfulness meditation, such as managing chronic pain, lowering blood pressure, and even demonstrated structural changes in the brain.

I know you are short on time. But when you take just 5 minutes a day to slow down, tune into your body and soul, and listen, you can completely shift your day, your week, your life. You will be shocked by how much more you get done and even more by how good you feel at the end of the day.

Introducing Mindful Mondays!

I believe in the power of mindfulness meditation so strongly that I have decided to offer a weekly 5 minute meditation every Monday in my private Facebook group. Every Monday at noon EST, I will go live in my group with a meditation that will help you clear your mind, tune into what you need, and set your intention for the rest of the week. If you aren’t available at that exact time, you can always watch a replay.

I can’t wait to share this experience with you! Make sure to join the private group for access to the meditations.