As the mom of four boys, ages 8 to 16, I get a regular education in teenage slang. Each week, they toss out new phrases. Some make me laugh, and some make me cringe. One of those phrases? Brain rot.

They introduced it a year or two ago, explaining that it’s what happens when you binge hours of TikTok or YouTube. Yep, I’m seeing it happen before my eyes. But I never imagined I’d see this phenomenon being written about in the professional magazines and resources I commonly reference.

We started seeing more about this “brain rot” when, much to my surprise, Oxford University Press designated it as its Word of the Year, defining it as the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state” caused by overconsuming “trivial or unchallenging” content online. Yep, something I once dismissed as teen jargon suddenly had academic credibility.

Sure… I, too, am constantly trying to help my kids manage their tech use. But recently, I realized it’s not just teens who need to be careful. This “deterioration of the brain” state is creeping into adulthood too, impacting our mental health, social connection, and workplace productivity.

If the word of the year reflects the collective mood of our time, this one should make all of us cringe.

A Medical Diagnosis?

No, “brain rot” isn’t a clinical diagnosis. But the cognitive state it describes? That’s very real.

It shows up as fragmented focus. As compulsive, mindless scrolling. As a brain so overloaded with short, shallow input that it can no longer pause, process, or think deeply.

We’re being bombarded with more information than ever, and we’re retaining very little. Applying even less. And rarely creating space to reflect and plan.

Brain Rot at Work: A Grown-Up Problem

Most professionals would never admit to social scrolling during the workday. But they’re likely:

• Checking the news (again) between meetings
• Refreshing Slack or email many, many times an hour
• Opening a newsletter or two, only to get pulled down a black hole of links
• Filling every minute of quiet with a podcast, yet unable to remember a single actionable takeaway

This constant, unfiltered intake feels productive. I mean, you’re REALLY BUSY, right?

But it’s not. It’s draining your focus.

In a world where 63% of managers report burnout, and most employees feel there’s never enough time to get it all done, we’re losing our most valuable resource: attention.

How to Reverse the Rot

The good news? You don’t need a total digital detox. Small, mindful changes can help you reset your brain and reclaim your clarity.

Here are a few I teach in my workshops:

SCREEN-FREE BUFFERS

Schedule 5–10 minutes between meetings, and resist the urge to scroll. Use that time to move your body, breathe, or just be with quiet music. These “white space” moments give your brain the reset it desperately needs.

PROTECT YOUR PEACE

Block off even 30 distraction-free minutes a day to focus on your deeper work. Turn on Do Not Disturb. Silence notifications. Find your flow.

As researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who coined the term flow state, once said:

“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… but the moments when our body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”

USE SCREEN TIME LIMITS

Don’t rely on willpower alone. Use built-in screen time tools or browser extensions to limit your social media and news consumption. Boundaries create freedom, and protect your cognitive capacity for the things that actually matter.

A Wake-Up Call for Leaders

Brain rot isn’t just a Gen Z joke, but a modern epidemic of attention and presence.

And it’s silently sabotaging our productivity, creativity, and relationships.

It’s sabotaging both you and your team.

Recognizing it is step one. Reclaiming your clarity is step two.

Where might brain rot be creeping into your workday? What small shift can you make this week to start rewiring your brain for focus, energy, and intention?