What is a New Year focus reset?
A New Year focus reset is five weeks of small changes, bookended by the same short attention test, so you can see whether January-you focuses better than December-you. It is not a detox and not a resolution. One baseline, one change a week, one fair re-test.
Measure first, change one thing, measure the same way again.
How the reset works in 3 steps
- Week 0: take a baseline. Run Attention Age's five-minute test (Signal Watch, Interference, Tracking) on a normal weekday morning. Write down the time.
- Weeks 1 to 4: one change a week. Work through the checklist in the order you sorted above. Worst thief first.
- January 4: re-test. Same time of day, same room, same tasks. Read the result, including if it is lower.
The focus reset checklist (sorted by you)
Updated November 2026 · Ticks are saved on this device only.
The sleep line is based on the CDC (2016), which says adults 18 to 60 need at least 7 hours a night and that more than a third of US adults fall short. This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your clinician.
A mini story: the December baseline
Picture a Monday in early December. Coffee, the five-minute test, a 52. Not great, not tragic. The sort put "scrolling before I start anything" on top, so week one is simple: the phone stays face-down until the first task has a name. Week two moves it out of the bedroom. By the re-test on January 4 the number is 57, and the app says early gains can come from familiarity with the tasks. Fair. The quieter mornings were the real result anyway.
The number is a check-in, not a verdict.
Honest limits of a focus reset checklist
- Scores usually rise with practice. The listing says that shows improvement at the tasks, not proof of broader change.
- The Attention Index is not an attention span in seconds, an age, a percentile or a diagnosis.
- Holiday weeks are messy. A re-test after a late night will look worse, which is why we put "same time, same room" on the list.
- The extra seven precision drills and 45 or 90 minute Deep Work sessions need Pro. Everything this checklist asks for is free.
One design decision we made: changes under 5 points are labelled "about the same". It is less exciting, and it stops a single good morning from feeling like a breakthrough.
New Year focus questions
When should I start a New Year focus reset?
Early December works well, because it gives you five weekly check-ins before the first working week of January. Starting on January 1 is fine too: just shift every week of the checklist forward.
How do I know if my focus actually got better?
Take the same test, the same way, at the same time of day, before and after. Attention Age's weekly re-test uses the same tasks and scoring, calls changes under 5 points "about the same" and flags early gains that probably come from getting used to the tasks.
Is a 0-100 Attention Index an attention span in seconds?
No. It reflects your performance on three specific tasks on your phone. The listing says plainly that it is not an age, a percentile or a ranking and is not compared with any population.
What does the free version of Attention Age include?
The five-minute test, weekly re-tests, the Daily Signal, practice for Signal Watch, Interference and Tracking, and 10 and 25 minute Deep Work sessions. Pro (monthly or annual) adds seven more drills and 45 and 90 minute sessions.
Can this checklist tell me if I have ADHD?
No. A checklist and a phone game cannot diagnose anything. If trouble focusing is affecting work, school or relationships, talk to your clinician. This is general information, not medical advice.
What if I miss a week over the holidays?
Skip it and carry on. The checklist is built so each week stands alone, and the re-test can happen on any day that suits you.
Proof: the screens you'll use
Who this checklist is not for
If you want a long digital detox with app blocking and locked phones, a dedicated blocker app will suit you better. If you are worried about ongoing trouble focusing, start with a clinician, not a test on your phone. And if numbers make you anxious, skip the test and keep only the checklist: it still works.
Take your December baseline
Five minutes now, five minutes on January 4. That's the whole measurement.
Related
- Attention Age: a five-minute attention span testA five-minute attention span test for iPhone: three timed tasks, a 0-100 Attention Index explained in plain language, then daily practice.
- Is my attention span getting shorter? Six myths checkedThe 8-second goldfish claim, the 10-minute lecture limit and four more attention myths, checked against the studies they came from.
- How to measure attention span improvement (6 mistakes to fix)Trying to improve your focus? Six common mistakes that fake or hide progress, how to fix each one, and a counter that reads your score change.
- The flanker test explained, step by step (with a 12-trial demo)What the flanker (arrow) test measures, what each screen asks, and what your interference cost means. Try a 12-trial demo in your browser.