Written by Andrew Murray, Former Secondary Principal, Director Lumina Wellbeing Strategy
Six small practices for staying present when life feels full
Most people I meet are not looking for another theory about life. They have read the books, listened to the podcasts, saved the posts, and promised themselves that next week will be different. Then Monday arrives. The inbox fills. The meeting runs over. Someone needs something urgently. The plan disappears before morning tea.
That is why people often ask for something practical. After a coffee, a conference session, or a kōrero, someone will say, “What is one thing I can actually do?”
It is a good question. Most people are not short of information. They are carrying too much of it. They are holding work, family, deadlines, decisions, relationships, expectations, and the constant background noise of being available.
That is where the 1–6 Reset for Busy People comes in.
It is simple because it counts. Do one thing once. Do one thing twice. Notice the third thing. Take four minutes. Pause for five. Arrive six minutes early. The best practice is the one you can remember when the day is messy.
This is not about doing more. It is about returning better.
One: once a week, go a different way home.
Change the route. Drive a different road. Walk a different way. The point is not efficiency. The point is interruption. A different way home gives your mind a chance to shift gears before you enter the next part of your life. Sometimes clarity does not come from pushing harder. Sometimes it comes from changing the road.
Two: check your emails deliberately, not constantly.
The clean version is to check your emails twice a day, but that will not suit everyone. The deeper principle is to stop letting your inbox decide the shape of your attention. The inbox can become a doorbell that never stops ringing. Every ping becomes a demand. Every message feels urgent. Your attention is valuable. Offer it carefully.
Three: if three people annoy you in a row, check yourself.
If one person annoys you, it might be them. If two people annoy you, it might be a rough morning. If three people annoy you in a row, ask what you are carrying. You may be tired, hungry, anxious, resentful, or overloaded. This is not about excusing poor behaviour from others. It is about noticing when your irritation is leaking onto people who do not deserve it.
Four: after a difficult conversation, take four minutes to breathe.
Many people move from one demanding moment straight into the next. A hard meeting finishes, the door
opens, and the next person receives the residue of what came before. Four minutes is enough to close the door, sit still, breathe slowly, and let the previous conversation finish before the next one begins.
Five: when you get home, turn your phone off for five minutes.
Five minutes will not solve digital overload, but it can change how you arrive. Many people come home physically present but mentally somewhere else. Turning the phone off is a small act of re-entry. It says, “I am here now.” It helps you move from work mode into people mode.
Six: arrive six minutes early.
Why six? Because life usually steals one. Someone stops you. A message comes in. The room is further away than you thought. Six minutes early often becomes five minutes early, and five minutes early changes how you arrive. You settle. You notice. You greet people properly. You enter as a person, not a storm.
Conclusion: small practices protect what matters
The 1–6 Reset is not dramatic. That is its strength. Most people do not need a heroic new life plan. They need small practices they can remember when the day gets messy.
Once a week, go a different way home. Check your emails deliberately, not constantly. If three people annoy you in a row, check yourself. Take four minutes to breathe after a difficult conversation. Turn your phone off for five minutes when you get home. Arrive six minutes early.
These habits will not remove pressure from your life. They will not fix every workplace, every relationship, or every overloaded calendar. But they can help you recover small pieces of attention, patience, and presence.
That matters because life is lived with and among people. The way we arrive affects others. The way we listen affects others. The way we carry stress affects others. The way we pause, reset, and return affects the quality of our relationships.
This is not really about being more productive. It is about being more present.
It is not about adding more to a full life. It is about making room inside the life you already have.
Small things shape us, and they shape the people around us.
Practice the small things. They are often the difference.
Andrew is speaking at the Melbourne Wellbeing for Future Focused Schools Conference on ‘The Anti 5am Club‘. View the Full Conference Program Here.