The 5:5 rule: How to reset your brain and improve mental clarity

In a rapidly changing world of work, schedules are increasingly becoming overwhelming. Many people have more to do than they handle.

They overload their brains and don’t make time to properly reset it. Doing too much for too long reduces efficiency. A busy schedule can be counter-productive. More often than not, it leads to mental fatigue.

A schedule that allows you to do less but efficiently is a much better way to improve productivity and your brain health at the same time. A plan to disengage from work in between deep work is exactly what you need.

Burnout is gradually becoming an epidemic.

When you are overwhelmed, you feel tired quickly. And when the brain is not delivering at an optimal level, most tasks get more challenging. You experience brain fog — a common human condition.

People who experience brain fog lack clarity and are unable to focus for too long. They may also have trouble making better decisions. In extreme cases, they get headaches.

For many people in these difficult times, brain fog is unavoidable. External and internal stressors in life make it impossible for them to maintain mental clarity for a long time.

The good news is, you can add a few healthy habits and routines to your schedule to improve your cognitive performance. Brain fog is avoidable and treatable.

The brain is wired to be alert and active. When it’s not firing on all cylinders, you’ve got to reset it and improve mental clarity.

Many people take better breaks, get more sleep, exercise more, spent more time in nature or take an extended vacation to reset their brains. It pays to take your brain health seriously.

A healthy exercise that can help you step away from deep work to reduce cognitive overload

If you want to reset your brain without disrupting your daily schedule, use the 5:5 rule: break your day into five sprints of deep work and take a five-minute brain break between every session.

That means no brain activity for five minutes before you start the subsequent focused work. It’s that simple.

But it can be challenging to practice.

The trick to making it work for you is to plan your day ahead of time. And most importantly, find activities that encourage less thinking when you are on your break. Or better still, engage in activities that help you be more present.

Simple things like closing your eyes, listening to calming music, taking a short walk or spending a few minutes in nature (if you can) can change your focus and help you concentrate on something else that doesn’t require too much brain energy.

You could also take at least 5 minutes to step outside for fresh air, get a snack, stretch or chat with a friend to recharge or reset your brain. Choose an enjoyable activity. Don’t make it a chore.

These small activities can clear your head and prepare you for the next task, especially if you work for long periods. They will rejuvenate the brain again.

“Something beats nothing. High performers work for fifty-two minutes and then break for seventeen minutes,” writes Daniel Pink in his book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing.

You can experiment and stick to a break schedule that improves your clarity the most. If five minutes is not enough, increase it to ten. If five deep work sessions don’t work for you, change it.

Do more of what works for your personal circumstance. As long as you deliberately take breaks between focused work sessions, you can reset your brain and improve mental clarity every workday. Take proactive steps to minimize brain fog every day.

This article first appeared on Medium.