After getting off the train, before the gate: five minutes standing still. Phone off. Just looking around. The crowd. The platform across. The light. Nothing else.
This person's coworkers called them sharp. Fast-thinking. Always clear. The technique was just time. Five minutes inserted between transitions, every day, several times. That's it.
Constant Motion Exhausts Thinking
Busy schedules feel impressive. But constant input—meeting ending, next meeting beginning, no gap—that actually drains thinking. The first meeting's weight doesn't clear before the second starts. By evening, past meetings haunt the present one. You're never where you are.