Scott Orth discusses mindfulness, resilience, and more in his blog and free biweekly newsletter. Visit Mindful Wisdom for details. This article draws from two blog posts.
In my work with CPAs and other busy professionals, the same themes keep showing up: persistent distractedness, stress, and a sense of being overwhelmed. Maybe I’m romanticizing the past, but it seems that somewhere along the way we stopped creating space in the day for ease, connection, and meaning—and I don’t believe it has to be this way.
Start with intention
The modern world is built to distract, disrupt, and overwhelm us. Recognizing this is the first step to reclaiming your day. As the best-selling author of Essentialism, Greg McKeown, put it: “If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.”1
How do you typically start each day? Be honest with yourself—do you check your phone the moment you wake up? Reading email and doomscrolling aren’t the healthiest ways to start your morning.
Instead, give yourself a few minutes of silence to ground yourself in the present. Do a few minutes of calm, focused breath work, read something inspirational, and/or do some movement that centres you. Then set your intention for how you want to move through the rest of the day.
Check in with yourself during the day
It’s impossible to create a sense of flow throughout the day if you’re constantly in a state of disruption, high intensity, and stress. Flow comes when your mind is calm and focused on what matters, which is why it’s so important to build some breathing room into your day, where you can. Make an effort to say no to endless back-to-back meetings. Schedule “focus blocks” to work on what’s essential—not just what’s urgent or distracting in the moment.
Giving yourself moments of calm throughout the day will also help you challenge negative thinking. To ensure our survival, the human brain has evolved to have a negativity bias, which makes us more likely to identify threats than opportunities. It also has an amazing ability to function like a time machine, imagining possible futures and reliving past events. While this kind of time travel allows us to learn from the past, plan for the future, and weigh decisions, it can also lead to endless rumination and worry.
When we’re working at high intensity for hours on end, rumination, worry, and negative thinking can cloud our world view and affect how we interact with those around us. By taking time to check in with yourself throughout the day, you can bring yourself back to the present and challenge and reframe negative thoughts. Again, one of the quickest ways to do this is by pausing and breathing. Then try to practise gratitude and notice what’s working.
Stop the bottomless feed
When it comes to being present, one of the biggest challenges we face is the bottomless supply of news and social media designed to capture and hold our attention.
These feeds are there to fill every conceivable gap in the day: while we wait in line, during meeting breaks, and even while walking down the hall (or across intersections). This endless stream of information fragments our focus, interrupts our thoughts, and offers a tempting escape from the slightest challenge or briefest moment of boredom.
One of the easiest ways to break the hold of technology and avoid the lure of quick dopamine hits is by turning off non-essential notifications. Another option is to delete the apps that pull you in but leave you drained. And try practising JOMO—the joy of missing out—on activities that aren’t truly fulfilling (like scrolling), in pursuit of gaining more peace and mental clarity in your day.
Prioritize what makes you human
As humans, we thrive when we’re connected, moving, and mentally renewed, which is why it’s so important to step away from our screens. Take time each day to genuinely connect with someone. Schedule a few minutes for a walk or to stretch between calls. Be deliberate about unplugging for a bit, and let your nervous system breathe and reset so you can recharge.
Taking time out to manage your busy brain, take care of yourself, or create boundaries in your day isn’t a frivolous luxury. It’s a sign of a life well-lived, aligned with what matters most. So, start where you are. Choose one practice from this article that calls to you and reclaim your day.
PD WITH THE AUTHOR
Scott will be teaching the plenary session “Balancing AI, Trust, and the Human Connection: The Future Role of the CPA” on May 21, as part of CPABC’s in-person PD Nexus: AI Insights conference in Vancouver. You can also catch three of his past sessions online and on demand:
- Fostering “Deep Work” in a Distracted World;
- The Art of Saying “NO!” and Setting Boundaries; and
- Tools to Stay Grounded, Positive and Hopeful in a Challenging World.
Visit pd.bccpa.ca for details.
Scott Orth, M.Sc., CPCC, is a mindfulness and resiliency coach and trainer who helps leaders and busy professionals learn how to reduce stress, respond to challenges more mindfully, and create the lives they want. He was previously the national HR leader for one of Canada’s largest employee-owned engineering and science consulting organizations.
This article was originally published in the May/June 2026 issue of CPABC in Focus.
Footnote
1 Greg McKeown, “If You Don’t Prioritize Your Life, Someone Else Will,” Harvard Business Review (hbr.org), June 28, 2012.
