In today's world, being overworked and stretched for time often feels like our norm. At times, our attention is being pulled in a million different directions. This constant stimulation can become highly exhausting, leading to resentment and burnout. Between emails, news alerts, and the expectation of always being reachable, many of us deal with some level of having to always be "on" (Ioannou & Papazafeiropoulou, 2022). Let's be honest, you are probably reading this while juggling other things. Maybe you have another tab open, a phone buzzing next to you, or a list of worries running through your mind.
Science shows that excessive job demands, especially the pressure to stay constantly connected through online communication and social media can rapidly drain our mental resources. This doesn't just hurt our productivity; it blurs the line between our jobs and our personal lives, cutting into our work-life balance (Foundations and Trends in Information Systems, 2025). Furthermore, researchers have found that this constant communication is highly distracting, making it incredibly difficult to get back into our natural rhythm (Frontiers in Psychology, 2026). It makes sense why so many of us feel like we are running on empty.
A Simple Step Forward
When you hear the word "mindfulness," you might picture sitting perfectly still on a quiet mountaintop for hours (e.g. the picture I used for this blog post). But in reality, mindfulness is much more practical than that.
Mindfulness is simply the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judging it (American Psychological Association, 2019). By learning to be in the present, we can feel much more in control, instead of on "auto-pilot". We can learn to consciously respond the situations, instead of being reactive.
The best part? You don't need a lot of free time to start. Many practices can be done in moments, and some only take 5 or 10 minutes. For example, you can practice focusing on your breath to restore a sense of calm, or take a quick break outside in nature.
You can’t always control the chaos of the world you live in, or the demands that society places on you. But you can choose how you respond to it. The next time you feel stretched too thin, try putting your phone on silent, closing your eyes, and taking five minutes just for you.
References
American Psychological Association. (2019). Mindfulness meditation: A research-proven way to reduce stress. https://www.apa.org/topics/mindfulness/meditation
Foundations and Trends in Information Systems. (2025). Technostress and work–family balance: IT Mindfulness and Perceived Organisational Support. 9(2).
Frontiers in Psychology. (2026). Do technologies distract users? Investigating technology experience vs. user wellbeing. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1775004
Ioannou, A., & Papazafeiropoulou, A. (2022). The role of mindfulness in mitigating the negative consequences of technostress. Information Systems Frontiers, PMC8790950.
Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash
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