61. Ted slumped into his chair, letting out a deep sigh as he stared at the chaotic mess on his desk.

Ted slumped into his chair, letting out a deep sigh as he stared at the chaotic mess on his desk. The papers, the notes, the to-do lists—all of it seemed to blur together, like a tangled web of tasks he couldn’t hope to untangle. His mind raced as he tried to prioritize, but every task seemed equally urgent, equally critical, equally impossible.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, willing himself to breathe. Okay, Ted. Start small. Just one thing. One thing, he repeated to himself. But even that felt daunting. His thoughts wandered back to Electrical Technology—his most pressing deadline. The vibration problem graphs were neatly drawn, the tables meticulously filled out, yet something nagged at him. The oscilloscope readings—those cursed phase shifts—refused to sit right in his calculations.

He opened his eyes and reached for his notebook, flipping through pages of scribbles and half-finished equations. The numbers stared back at him, mocking his efforts. What if I’ve made a fundamental mistake? What if I’ve been working off the wrong assumption this whole time? The thought sent a chill down his spine.

Ted pushed the notebook away and rubbed his temples, trying to stave off the headache that was beginning to creep in. His gaze fell on the Savasana book sitting at the edge of his desk. Know your mind, he thought, echoing Sherman’s words from earlier that week.

Maybe he did need to pause. Maybe he needed to clear the clutter in his mind before he could make sense of the clutter on his desk. Ted stood up and moved to the center of his room, rolling out the worn yoga mat he kept tucked under his bed. The simple act of unrolling it felt like a small victory—something he could control amidst the chaos.

He lay down on his back, arms relaxed at his sides, and closed his eyes. The stillness was uncomfortable at first; his mind kept darting back to deadlines and unfinished work. But gradually, his breathing steadied, and the noise in his head began to quiet.

In the silence, he found a small moment of clarity. The tasks ahead were still daunting, but they didn’t feel insurmountable anymore. One thing at a time, he reminded himself. Finish the Electrical Technology assignment first. Then tackle the next thing. You’ve got this.

As he got up and returned to his desk, something had shifted. The weight on his shoulders felt a little lighter, and the mess on his desk seemed a little less intimidating. Ted picked up his notebook again, ready to face the phase shifts one more time.

For now, it was enough to take the next step—and that was all he needed to focus on.