The 5-minute brain workout Muse co-founder Ariel Garten swears by for better focus

You’re not lazy. You’re just out of capacity — and no amount of to-do lists can fix that. 

So what do you do when your brain is fried, your calendar is full, and you're still trying to show up for the people (and priorities) that matter most? 

Neuroscientist Ariel Garten has been there. As the co-founder of Muse, the brain-sensing headband used by over 500,000 people and backed by 200+ clinical studies, she’s learned how to work with her brain, not against it — using real-time feedback, five-minute resets, and a deeply human understanding of what it means to do less, better. 

In this episode, Ariel and I talk about: 

• How she uses Muse to train her brain across focus, emotion regulation, and sleep 

• The five-minute session she does daily to “work out” her prefrontal cortex 

• What happens after meditation that makes the biggest difference 

• Her go-to system for catching herself when she’s stressed, triggered, or procrastinating 

If you’ve been trying to push through the overwhelm, this conversation is a powerful reminder that focus, calm, and clarity aren’t things you force - they’re things you can train. 

Key Quotes: 

“What you have to do is recognise that it’s ok to have limitation and it's ok to only do so much in a day.” 

“Forcing yourself to do something that you're not good at, trains you to just do it better each and every time.” 

“My bad habits became my triggers for better habits — but only once I noticed them.” 

Connect with Ariel via LinkedIn, Instagram, and X (Twitter). Learn more about brain training and mindfulness with Muse and listen to her podcast Untangle. 

Save 15% on the Muse headband when you shop here and use the code HOWIWORK at checkout. 

 

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ 

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) 

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) 

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe 

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at [email protected] 

  

Credits: 

Host: Amantha Imber 

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler 

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