Burnt out by Monday? Try this 5-minute daily habit that changed everything for me
Big leadership starts with small resets.
Ever feel like you’re already behind by the time your day starts?
At times, it might feel like all stress, not strategy. Your calendar is crammed, your brain is buzzing, and everyone wants something now, but you’re running on fumes?
You’re not alone.
I coach product leaders every day, and here's what I hear all the time:
“I wake up stressed.”
“I can’t think straight in meetings.”
“I feel like I’m reacting, not leading.”
“I’ve lost the joy in my work.”
If any of that rings true, you’re likely missing one crucial thing: a moment to reset.
The power of 5 calm minutes
I coach professionals to become calm leaders with presence—the kind of leader who stays centred under pressure, leads with clarity, and inspires others without burning themselves or their teams out.
One tool I come back to again and again is what I call the 5-Minute Leaders Reset.
I used it when I was a full-time Chief Product Officer. I teach it to my clients.
And I’ll be honest, as a fractional CPO, things unravel fast when I forget to follow the daily 5-minute leaders reset.
A few months ago, during a particularly chaotic period in a fractional CPO role, I let the habit slide. The result?
I became reactive, defensive, and stressed. I felt isolated and overwhelmed. My motivation dipped, and I dreaded the workday.
I was doing all the tasks… but wasn’t being the leader I wanted to be.
Within a week of resuming this 5-minute practice, I felt like myself again: calm, confident, and in control. My leadership had presence, not panic.
Why it works
This isn’t magic, it’s neuroscience and behavioural habit-building.
The reset:
Calms your nervous system with box breathing
Reclaims your time, energy and emotional clarity
Shifts your mindset to a place of progress and possibility
Anchors your attention on what matters
Breaks the stress-react loop before it spirals
This is your leadership armour to prepare you for a meaningful day.
It is your reset button.
And it’s only a 5-minute leadership investment.
Let’s walk through it now:
🕔 The 5-Minute Leaders Reset
Each step takes no more than 1 minute. Do it at your desk, or on your commute (not while driving!).
1. Clear Your Mind
Use box breathing to reset your nervous system. Inhale through your nose for 3 seconds. Hold your breath in for 3 seconds. Slowly exhale through your mouth for 3 seconds. Hold with empty lungs for 3 seconds. That is it, simple.
Try to do this four times. Your thoughts will settle.
2. Recognise Wins
Could you write down three small wins from yesterday?
Big or small, it doesn’t matter.
Mine today:
– I honestly chatted with a team member and reset boundaries (it wasn’t as difficult as I had feared).
– I read an article on enterprise AI agents
– I took a proper lunch break and ate away from my desk.
This rewires your brain to notice progress and keep celebrating the small wins.
3. Declutter Tasks
Look at your to-do list. What can you delete or delegate?
The aim is to let go of just one task that’s no longer serving you, or empower someone else (even an AI agent) to take it. Only one, as you only have 1 minute to do this.
This frees up time and builds trust.
Today, I was going to complete a task called 'preparing for a client meeting in three days,' but I realised I didn’t need to attend. Instead, I delegated the task to one of my team members for the meeting. I just added two hours back to my schedule. 🎉
4. One Intention
Set your intention for the day:
“What’s one thing I want to influence today?”
Pick that one thing, and then label it. Keep it simple.
Today, mine is: Influence pricing strategy towards a consumption model.
Label: Consumption Gold
That’s it—no planning, we only have one minute. Just create presence and agency.
5. Question Pressure
Take today’s biggest stress that is plaguing you and flip it into a question. Use the following prompts to help…
“How can we ….?”
or
“What would need to be true for …. to go well?”
This simple shift turns pressure perception into perspective.
You don’t need all the answers; you need better conversations.
The hard part? Making it stick.
The practice is simple. But building the habit? That’s where most leaders fall off.
Here’s my challenge to you:
Do it daily for 1 week.
Then do it on Monday after the weekend; now keep it going for three more weeks.
By week 4, it will feel like a regular part of your daily routine.
To help, I’ve created a video that walks you through the 5-minute daily leader reset, along with a simple worksheet you can download, and the option of four short email reminders to keep you on track.
👉 Click here to get your copy.
Bonus: Join the retreat
If this resonates with you and you’re ready to become a calm leader with presence, join me at the Product Leader Retreat 2025.
We will discuss everything you need to lead without burnout. Be calm. Have confidence. Make your mark.
🎟 Limited to 20 tickets only, see full details here.