The difference between “one quick break” and “where did the hour go?” is a reset ritual. This 10-minute workday reset clears your head after meetings, lunch, or an NBA game break so you can re-enter deep work without wandering.

Why a reset ritual matters
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  • Brains love cues. Repeatable steps tell your mind “focus mode now.”
  • It protects your calendar: no more drifting after “just a quick YouTube check.”
  • It shrinks context-switch pain when you bounce between meetings, meals, and quick highlights.

The 10-minute workday reset ritual
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  • Minute 0–1: Close and park. Close non-essential tabs, save the doc, and jot one sentence on what you’re doing next.
  • Minute 1–3: Micro tidy. Wipe the desk, park the keyboard/trackpad, toss trash. Clear the visual noise.
  • Minute 3–5: Body check. Stand, roll shoulders, 10–15 calf raises or a quick walk to water.
  • Minute 5–7: Breath switch. 4-4-4 box breathing or 10 slow nose breaths. Headphones off to signal change.
  • Minute 7–9: Two-task script. Write the next two actions with verbs (“Draft intro,” “Send recap to J”).
  • Minute 9–10: Reopen only what’s needed. One doc, one reference tab, one comms app. Timer on if you need a focus sprint.

Pairing with NBA game breaks
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  • Watch highlights or a single quarter, not the whole game.
  • Use open-ear or ANC with transparency so you can hear your name.
  • Keep captions on and brightness down to avoid re-distracting yourself.
  • When the timer ends, run the two-task script before reopening Slack/email.

Scripts that keep coworkers in the loop
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  • “BRB 10—resetting after the meeting, back at :20.”
  • “Doing a quick reset after lunch; ping me if urgent.”
  • “Running a 10-min reset after the game—Slack back on at :45.”

Variations for different days
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  • Meeting-heavy: Shorten tidy to 1 minute, lengthen two-task script to 3 minutes so you don’t lose the thread.
  • Deep-work days: Add a 3-minute brainstorm block to outline the next section before reopening tabs.
  • Evening wind-down: Swap the two-task script for “what’s first tomorrow?” to set your morning runway.