Why It’s Time to Take Five at Work

Let’s be honest: work isn’t working like it used to be.

It’s leaving many overstimulated, under-connected, and increasingly burnt out. According to research a striking 85% of people say their well-being has declined, while nearly 90% believe work life has worsened. A staggering 91% of UK adults reported experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure or stress in the past year. This is almost, erm, everyone. Clearly, something is very broken.

As a strategist in advertising, I spend a lot of time solving complex client problems, I wanted to focus some brain power tackling a big problem that effects a lot of us in our work.

I often read about ‘fixing agency culture’, bringing people back to the office with free lunches, rebuilding team spirit, hosting town halls and I can’t help but wonder if the conversation is misplaced. Culture isn’t built by just being physically present; it’s about being mentally, emotionally, and energetically available. It’s about connection - real, intentional connection - with ourselves and others.

But the truth is, many of us aren’t connecting anymore. We’re overbooked and overwhelmed, buried in back-to-back meetings, inundated with information we don’t need, that drains our focus and energy. Attention spans shrink, cameras flick off, inboxes swell. By the end of the day, we’re not just tired we’re mentally fried. It’s hard to think straight when your calendar looks like a game of Tetris designed by a sadist.

The problem isn’t too much work or too many meetings. It’s how we’re owning and planning our time. Some workdays resemble marathons. Endless slogs from one screen to the next, when what we really need are sprints: bursts of deep focus, followed by space to breathe, reflect, and recharge.

Our study found that 63% of employees would like to make more time in their workday to take a break, and 49% would like to make more time in their workday to focus more. 

What if we had the ability to control time? What if we could create more time in our day? What if we could manipulate the time space continuum?

I have a simple but effective strategy to do what sometimes seems impossible: Take Five

Not a sabbatical. Not a six-month strategy review. Just five. Five minutes here. Five hours there. Five small shifts that can help us trade burnout for balance, and busywork for real, connection.

1. End Meetings Five Minutes Early

It’s a small gesture that changes everything. A 30 becomes a 25. An hour becomes 55. That little breather between calls isn’t dead time-it’s decompression time. It’s how we protect focus, reset attention, and maybe even stand up and stretch.

2. Block Five Hours of Deep Work

Every week, set aside five hours for the work that actually matters. No meetings. No multitasking. Just you and your brain doing what you do best. Think of it as calendar feng shui: clearing space for clarity.

3. Take Five to Plan

Before you join the next Zoom or stroll into a meeting room, pause. Why are you here? What do you want out of this? It’s five minutes of prep that can save 45 minutes of flailing.

4. Take Lunch (Yes, Really)

You’d be amazed how many brilliant ideas arrive somewhere between your desk and the Pret queue. Your brain needs fuel and daylight. Give it both.

5. Schedule Five Creative Hits a Quarter

We don’t grow ideas by grinding. We grow them by feeding our curiosity. Go to a talk, see an exhibit, read something that challenges you. Creativity is a crop - you have to water it.

Five small changes, huge impact.

I am not suggesting these are new or radical ideas. But I for one could always do with a mindset nudge from autopilot to have more intentionality in my day.

When I applied this approach to my own calendar, I freed up the equivalent of 40% of my week. That’s not a typo. Forty percent! That’s time I can spend thinking, creating, recharging.

Imagine what you could do with that time. Imagine how much more connected you could feel-to your work, your colleagues, and yourself.

You don’t need free lunch on a Friday. You just need a new rhythm to your week. It

The fix isn’t complicated. It’s small, human, repeatable. And it starts with five.

Take five. Start small. End your next meeting early. Step outside for lunch. Block a few sacred hours on your calendar. You might be surprised at the clarity, creativity, and connection that come rushing back.