From a 2014 journal entry:
One thing that worked well today, at work especially, was taking a simple breath before every decision. Every one. Even deleting an email. “Pause. Breath. Think. What’s happening here? What’s important? Let’s let it happen slowly.”
This is a habit that’s stuck with me. I don’t do it all the time but if I notice that I’ve lost my focus and have been elsewhere, mentally, I’ll stop and take a few deep breaths, ask myself what I need to next, and continue the breathe/action/breathe/action cycle until I get back into it.
Remembering what I need to do in a given day is easy enough from looking at my calendar or task list, but remembering what I was doing 30 seconds ago can be difficult if I’m not breathing, noticing, and talking myself through it.