Clearing the Mental Clutter

In today’s nonstop work culture, days blur into one long meeting with no time to breathe, eat, or even take a bio break. It’s tense, it’s exhausting, and frankly, it’s unsustainable.

Some days, I catch myself swept up in this whirlwind. Even with the best intentions, unexpected situations pull me in multiple directions. As an executive coach, I often notice this in my clients. Their energy is unsettled, and their stress is palpable. They struggle to stay present and grounded in our sessions.

At times, I invite them to pause before diving in—finish that email, grab a snack, take a breath. This may cut into our hour, but I would rather us spend 45 minutes with presence than 60 minutes distracted. When they return, they’re refreshed—more present, more engaged, more themselves. These moments often lead to more meaningful breakthroughs.

After a while, I started to notice a pattern: we carry fragments of the last task or meeting into the next. Dr. Sophie Leory calls this Attention Residue—the mental excess we bear when we don’t create space to reset. When we fail to pause between moments, that leftover attention impacts how we show up for ourselves and others.

Every time I share this concept, I find that it resonates deeply. It’s a powerful reminder that how we transition between activities matters. Ignoring this in-between can damage credibility, strain relationships, reduce effectiveness, and lead to burnout—something we’re already seeing across the workforce. One Korn Ferry survey found that nearly 9 in 10 professionals experienced burnout driven by increased workload and constant change. And another revealed that 43% of senior executives question their ability to meet the demands of their role.

On the other hand, spending just five intentional minutes transitioning can unlock exponential benefits—clarity, focus, energy management, stronger social connection, and better execution. So, what will it take for you to pause? To check in with yourself throughout the day? To reset, refresh, and release the residue before moving forward?

As you experiment with reclaiming your attention, reflect on these coaching questions:

• How do you typically transition between meetings or tasks?
• What impact does lingering attention or residue have on your decision-making or leadership presence?
• What boundaries do you set to protect your focus and energy?
• How do you model focused attention for your team and/or peers?
• What would be possible if you consistently showed up with full attention?
• What happens when you interact with others who also have attention residue?

When you learn to clear the residue, you sharpen your attention and elevate your leadership. Need help decluttering your mind? Try these 5 actions:

1. Review your calendar. Scan your days and weeks for natural openings and create space where there is none. I place holds on my calendar for moments to refresh and reset so I can show up with clarity and energy. If I’m not intentional about scheduling and protecting that time, I feel it—my energy, along with my ability to stay focused and agile, dips.
2. Shorten meetings. End meetings 5 to 10 minutes early to create small but meaningful breaks. When I’m the one scheduling, it’s easy to build in the buffer. When others are leading, communicating our need for transition time is essential to ensuring our days include the pauses that keep us moving with energy. Tell people what you need—they are more gracious and accommodating than we expect.
3. Change your scenery. Step away from your devices and shift your environment, even briefly. A few minutes outdoors or a quiet moment by a window can offer grounding and perspective. Even schedule a day when you can move your office to a different room to change the scenery.
4. Hit pause. Silence notifications for your emails, messages, and phone apps, even if just for an hour. Finishing what you started without interruptions will increase productivity. We are more efficient when we silence the noise.
5. Just breathe. Deep, intentional breathing calms your system, sharpens focus, and anchor you in the present. Even a few minutes of guided breathwork can lower stress and help you reset before moving forward. Sit tall, exhale fully, inhale slowly, and let yourself settle into the moment.

When we reclaim our attention, we reconnect with what truly matters—our values, our energy, our presence. In a world that rewards constant motion, it’s easy to forget that clarity begins with stillness.

I’m reminded of a powerful quote by Pascal, the philosopher and mathematician: “All of humanity’s problems stem from the inability to be still.”

Let’s normalize the pause. Let’s create the space we need to show up as our best selves.

To speak with a Korn Ferry coach and begin reclaiming your attention, visit our Korn Ferry Advance site.