How to Be 5% More Present!

Do me a favor. Be really honest with yourself for a moment.
If you had to put rough percentages to where your mind spent the last 24 hours—past, present, or future—what would they be?

When I asked myself that question, I didn’t love the answer. Even though I’ve been actively trying to be more present these past months, I realized how often my brain slips into old conversations or twelve-step planning for the future. Even on calm days, when nothing is demanding my attention, my mind drifts ahead.

Why does our brain do this?

Because it’s built for it. Neuroscience calls it the Default Mode Network (DMN).

When you’re not focused on a task, this network kicks in. It pulls you into memories (past) or predictions (future). It’s useful for learning, problem-solving, and keeping you safe—but it can also hijack your attention and drag you away from the moment right in front of you.

The good news: presence is trainable

Attention is like a muscle. We can train it. By gently, repeatedly bringing our awareness back, we strengthen our ability to stay here, now. Over time, the muscle of presence grows stronger, and it becomes easier to quiet the DMN’s wandering.

One of the simplest ways I’ve been practicing this is by collecting what are called glimmers.

Glimmers: the opposite of triggers

You might remember when “glimmers” were a big thing on Instagram. Short clips of sunlight through trees, a cat stretching in a sunbeam, the sound of ocean waves. At first, I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes. It felt too simple, too Instagram-aesthetic to make any real difference.

But then I learned the science: glimmers are the opposite of triggers. Where a trigger jolts the nervous system into fight-or-flight, a glimmer is a tiny cue of safety. It tells the body, “You’re okay. You can soften. You can be here.”

A glimmer might be the warmth of your coffee mug, the sound of laughter in another room, or the feeling of cold water on the skin. They don’t erase stress or eliminate thoughts, but they anchor you. And when repeated, they begin to shift the baseline of your nervous system.

Try this experiment

Take a piece of paper and write down three rough percentages for where your mind was yesterday: past, present, future. No judgment—just data.

Then ask yourself: What would 5% more presence look like?

It doesn’t need to be dramatic. Keep it tiny:

• A full-attention coffee in the morning

• A phone-free walk

• Three slow breaths before opening your laptop

These little shifts add up. Small, repeated practices can make a big difference in how you live your life and how you feel in both your mind and body.

Why it matters

Presence isn’t about becoming a Zen monk or silencing every wandering thought.

It’s about regaining clearer access to yourself. When you come back to the here and now, you make steadier choices, you’re less driven by “what ifs” and old stories, and you feel more aligned with what actually matters.

Presence is not perfection. It’s practice. It’s training the muscle of attention, one glimmer, one pause, one breath at a time.

So—how present were you yesterday? And what’s one tiny way you might bring yourself 5% closer to now today?