The 5-Minute Reset for When You're Too Drained to Focus on Your Career Change

The Challenge We’re Solving Today

You’re staring at your screen, mentally bouncing between a dozen things.

"I need to finish grading these, but I also have a meeting in 10 minutes. And I still haven’t replied to that email… Ugh, I totally forgot about that project update. And my AP just emailed me—what now?! Is that a fire drill? Didn't we just have one? Why is my phone ringing in the middle of class? Did I remember to submit my updated PEPs? A new student, right now?!"

By the end of the day, your brain feels like mush.

You know you should be working on your career change, but the idea of updating your resume or networking after work? Not happening.

You’re too drained to even think straight.

Sound familiar?

Yeah, we need to fix that.

Why This Matters to You

Feeling overwhelmed doesn’t just slow you down.

It steals the mental energy you need to work on your career goals.

You're going to start to:

❌ Procrastinate on your job search because it feels like “too much”
❌ Second-guess your next steps because everything feels equally urgent
❌ End your day feeling exhausted but still like you didn’t get enough done

If you keep running on empty, your job search will stay on the back burner.

But the good news?

A simple 5-minute reset can help you reclaim your focus—so you actually have the brainpower and energy for your next career move.

Common Solutions and Why They Might Not Work

When overwhelm hits, most people default to one of three things:

Multitasking – “If I just do two things at once, I’ll catch up.”
Except… research shows that multitasking actually makes you less efficient and increases mistakes.

Powering Through – “I just need to push harder.”
But ignoring mental fatigue leads to sloppy work and eventual burnout.

Procrastinating – “Let me just check Instagram real quick…”
A temporary escape feels nice, but the stress comes right back (sometimes worse) when you realize you’re even further behind.

These approaches don’t solve the real issue: too many competing priorities, with no clear sense of what actually needs your attention.

A Better Approach for You... Grab a pen.

Here’s my simple 5-minute reset that clears mental clutter and helps you focus: The Brain Dump + Prioritization Reset—paired with the “Glass Ball vs. Plastic Ball” mindset.

Step 1: Brain Dump (2 minutes)

Grab a piece of paper (or open a notes app) and write everything that’s swirling in your head. No order, no structure—just get it all out.

This does two things:
✅ Gets the mental noise out of your head so you stop carrying it around
✅ Helps you see what’s actually on your plate (not just what feels urgent)

Step 2: Identify the Glass Balls (1 minute)

Imagine you’re juggling. Some of the balls are glass—if they drop, they shatter. Others are plastic—if they drop, they bounce.

Look at your list and ask: What are my true glass balls today?

🔹 A glass ball = A deadline-driven task or something with serious consequences if ignored
🔹 A plastic ball = Something that feels urgent but won’t cause real harm if delayed

Highlight or circle 2-3 glass balls. Everything else? It’s a plastic ball—you can let it wait.

Step 3: Prioritize and Simplify (2 minutes)

Now, do a quick sort:

✅ Cross off anything non-essential (plastic balls that don’t really need attention today)
✅ Delegate or defer what you can
✅ Focus on your glass balls first—those are today’s true priorities

Bonus Step: Take a deep breath and start your first glass-ball task. Just like that, you’ve transformed chaos into clarity—in five minutes flat.

Why This Works

"Okay, Steph, but what if I forget something important?"

Here’s the thing—when everything feels urgent, nothing gets the attention it deserves.

This method helps your brain separate real priorities from the noise, so you can stop reacting to everything and actually focus.

And the best part? Once you’ve handled your glass balls, you’ll have mental and physical energy left to invest in your career goals—whether that’s job searching, networking, or finally updating your resume.

A Quick Dialogue With Yourself

"But what if I drop the ball on something important?"

👉 Not everything is a glass ball. If you try to juggle everything, you’ll end up dropping the wrong things. By prioritizing, you ensure what truly matters gets done.

"But I feel guilty ignoring things on my list."

👉 Permission granted. Some tasks can wait. Giving yourself that permission means you’ll do better work and have energy for your career change.

"But I don’t have time to stop and do this every day."

👉 Five minutes now saves you hours later. A quick reset prevents wasted time, decision fatigue, and scrambling—so you get more done with less stress.

Summary

🔹 Feeling mentally drained after work makes it hard to focus on your job search.
🔹 Default reactions like multitasking, pushing through, or procrastinating don’t solve the root issue.
🔹 The Brain Dump + Prioritization Reset helps you separate what truly matters from what can wait.
🔹 The Glass Ball vs. Plastic Ball mindset makes prioritization easier—so you can protect your energy for your next career move.

Want to Dive Deeper?

Want more strategies to stay focused and productive—without burnout? The Elevated Career Change Accelerator teaches you how to manage work stress and make progress on your career change. 

Your Next Steps

✅ Save this tip for the next time work feels overwhelming.
✅ Try the Brain Dump + Prioritization Reset today—even for just 5 minutes.
✅ Share this with a friend or coworker who needs a mental reset.

You do have time and energy for your career change.

You just need a system that works for you, not against you.

This is it.

Steph Yesil

Find me on LinkedIn, Get My Career Change Kit, or Book a 1:1 Call