The Daily Reset

3-minute micro desk breaks

The meeting you need most today is three minutes with yourself.

For executives, founders, and senior managers.

Try Free for 5 Days See the evidence

No download. No credit card. Just your name and email.

You're not burned out. You're just not stopping.

The numbers behind the 3 PM fog, the locked shoulders, and the meetings you don't remember.

50%

of US employees experience daily stress

Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2026 Report (2025 data) [S15]

56%

of leaders report burnout — up from 52% in 2023

LHH, 2024 [S19]

15 min

of total daily microbreaks is all it takes — 3 sessions of 3–5 minutes each

PLOS ONE meta-analysis [S1]

The research is clear: the people who perform best under sustained pressure aren't the ones who push through. They're the ones who pause — briefly, deliberately, and before they feel they need to.

The breaks

Five breaks. Three minutes each. Built on evidence.

Each break runs 3–5 minutes with a guided timer and optional studio-quality voice narration. Every break ends with a single quote worth carrying into your next meeting.

See the five breaks
01

Eyes

The 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Reduces digital eye strain, which affects 60% of daily screen users [S2].

3 min
02

Shoulders

Seated tension release for trapezius and neck. Forward head posture adds up to 27 kg of strain to the cervical spine [S3]. This sequence reverses it in 4 minutes.

4 min
03

Stand

Two-minute standing reset with hip extension. Prolonged sitting reduces blood flow and metabolic rate [S4]. Standing breaks restore circulation and alertness.

2 min
04

Breathe

Box breathing 4-4-4-4: inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4. Used by Navy SEALs and validated in clinical settings for acute stress reduction [S5]. Four minutes, immediate effect.

4 min
05

Posture

Forward-head correction with chin tucks and scapular retraction. Desk posture compresses the diaphragm by up to 30%, reducing oxygen intake [S6]. This reset opens it back up.

3 min

While you eat

Lunch Break Learning. One idea with your sandwich.

An optional feature. Turn it on, pick a time, and get a 3–5 minute audio episode with your lunch — one idea, one story, one takeaway. Pause anytime. Resume where you left off.

Try it free

One idea per episode

History, science, philosophy, leadership. Short enough to finish with a sandwich. Interesting enough to look forward to tomorrow.

Pause and resume

Get interrupted? No problem. The episode picks up exactly where you left off. Come back in five minutes or five hours.

You control it

Off by default. Choose your time, choose your topics, change your mind. The physical breaks remain the core. This is the bonus.

Sample episode topics

How the Romans handled decision fatigue Why Navy SEALs use box breathing — and what neuroscience says about it The science of the 3 PM crash What chess grandmasters do between rounds On This Day — great events in history Overcoming obstacles — Insights from the leaders in their fields

Every protocol traces to published research.

No vague wellness claims. Every break is built on cited studies — including the most current research available. Here's the chain:

Research notes and analysis on a desk
S1

Kim et al., PLOS ONE (2023) — Meta-analysis of 22 studies. Microbreaks significantly improve vigor and reduce fatigue, regardless of break type. "Any decoupling activity" works. Autonomy over break content is a key moderator.

S1b

Nature Scientific Reports (2024) — Mixed-method study of 308 employees. Microbreaks replenish psychological resources (vigor, fatigue), though the type of break matters. Exposure to nature yielded the strongest recovery.

S2

Yadav et al., Int'l Journal of Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology (2025) — The 20-20-20 rule is a simple and effective strategy for reducing digital eye strain. Outcomes vary by adherence; regular reminders improve compliance.

S3

Hansraj, Surgical Technology International (2014) — Forward head posture adds up to 27 kg of additional force on the cervical spine at 60° tilt. Posture breaks directly address this mechanical load.

S4

Harvard Health / sedentary behaviour research — Prolonged sitting reduces blood flow, lowers metabolic rate, and increases cardiovascular risk. Standing breaks of even 2 minutes restore peripheral circulation.

S5

Jerath et al., Medical Hypotheses (2006) — Slow, controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing cortisol and stabilising heart rate variability. Box breathing 4-4-4-4 is the simplest validated protocol.

S6

Kolar et al., Clinical Biomechanics (2012) — Slumped seated posture compresses the diaphragm by up to 30%, reducing tidal volume. Postural correction restores diaphragmatic breathing.

S15

Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2026 Report (2025 data) — 50% of US employees experience daily stress. 32% are engaged at work. 51% are thriving in overall life — down from 56% in 2022.

S19

LHH (2024) — Leadership burnout rose to 56% in 2024, up from 52% in 2023. Generation X and millennial leaders most affected. 73% of C-level executives report working without sufficient rest.

The full evidence base — primary sources from 2006 to 2025, all verifiable — is available on request. The oldest studies remain the foundational citations for their respective protocols. The newest confirm the problem is getting worse, not better.

How it works. Ten seconds to start.

Sign up in ten seconds, then the app opens in its own clean workspace — no scrolling, no clutter.

1

Start your trial

Name and email — that's it. No credit card. You get five days of full access to everything.

10 sec
2

Open your dashboard

A dedicated app space with your five breaks, daily schedule, morning quote, and Lunch Break Learning.

Same tab
3

Take a break

Pick a break, press start, and follow the guided timer with optional voice narration. Back in three minutes.

3 min

Simple pricing. Cancel anytime.

5-Day Free Trial

$0

  • All 5 break types
  • Audio narration (toggle on/off)
  • Lunch Break Learning — 1 episode/day
  • Daily scheduling + reminders
  • No credit card required
  • Name and email only
Start your free trial

Cancel anytime. No lock-in. Your data stays in your browser — we don't store it.

Questions.

Is this meditation?

No. The Daily Reset is physical — eye exercises, posture correction, breathing techniques, and movement. There's no guided imagery, no mindfulness instruction, no spiritual component. It's closer to physiotherapy than meditation.

Do I need to download anything?

No. The Daily Reset runs entirely in your browser. On mobile, it works as a web app — you can add it to your home screen if you want, but there's no app store, no update cycle, no storage used.

Is my data private?

Yes. All user data — your schedule, your break history, your preferences — is stored locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server. We don't have your data, so we can't lose it or sell it.

What's Lunch Break Learning?

An optional feature. Pick a topic group — philosophy, motivation, science, or leadership — and each day you get one randomly shuffled 3–5 minute audio episode. One new episode per day, so there's always something to look forward to tomorrow. You can change your topic group anytime, which starts a fresh shuffle. It's off by default; the physical breaks are the core product.

How is this different from Calm or Headspace?

Calm and Headspace are meditation apps — 10–20 minute sessions, mindfulness-focused, broad consumer audience. The Daily Reset is 3–5 minute physical breaks at your desk, designed for working executives, priced lower, and built on occupational health research rather than mindfulness studies.

Who built this.

Shane Carrol, founder of The Daily Reset
Shane Carrol · Founder

The Daily Reset was built by someone who has lived the problem.

Over 40 years, across three continents, I have held senior executive roles in multiple industries — from general manager of a production and finishing factory to founder and CEO of several seven-figure companies in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Like most executives, I learned about burnout the hard way. Not from a seminar. From the real cost of running too hot for too long — the missed family moments, the decisions made on fumes, the body sending signals I kept overriding.

The research on microbreaks is clear: small, deliberate pauses measurably reduce fatigue and restore vigour. But knowing the science and actually doing it are two different things. The gap between knowledge and action is where burnout lives.

I built The Daily Reset to close that gap. Not another wellness app full of vague promises. A tool designed by an executive, for executives — simple enough to actually use, grounded in research, and built around the reality of a packed calendar.

No hype. No jargon. Just the pauses you already know you need — made automatic.

Your next meeting can wait three minutes.

Try Free for 5 Days

No download. No credit card. Cancel anytime.