“Wherever you go, there you are” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
Read more about Mindfulness here!
You don’t need to meditate every day to experience the benefits of mindfulness at work. Here are a few ways you can incorporate mindful moments into your day so you can de-stress and do your best during those busy days in the office!
Mindfulness may seem like a good idea, but how do you become more mindful during a busy day at work? You may have tons of emails, phone calls, meetings, and presentations to deal with. Somehow during that time, how can you apply the principles of mindfulness so that you feel more alive and present, as well as being productive? Here are a few popular and other more realistic ways to be mindful at work.
- Be Consciously Present
Mindfulness is mainly about being aware and awake rather than working unconsciously. When you’re consciously present at work, you’re aware of two aspects of your experiences in the moment, what’s going on around you and what’s going on within you. To be mindful at work means to be consciously present in what you’re doing, while you’re doing it, as well as managing your mental and emotional state. If you’re writing a report, mindfulness requires you to give it your full attention. Each time your mind wanders to things off-topic, just acknowledge the thoughts and bring your attention back to the task you were working on.
- Use Mindful Reminders
The word “mindful” means to remember. Most people who know about mindfulness appreciate the benefits of mindful living. Unfortunately, they keep forgetting to be mindful! The reason you forget to be mindful is because your brain’s default mode is to be lost in your own thoughts, internally narrating your own thoughts. When you’re going about your usual daily activities, your brain switches you into this low energy state, which is unmindful, almost dreamy. Doing some things automatically, without thinking, is fine but research at Harvard University showed that 47% of a person’s day can be spent lost in thoughts. The same research found that day dreaming can have a negative impact on a person’s well-being. This means that you’re not fully present and awake to the opportunities and choices around you. You can’t be creative, plan something new or respond appropriately if you’re lost in your thoughts.
By using some form of reminder, you can be mindful again. The reminder shakes you out of the unaware state of mind. Try these reminders:
- Setting an alarm on the phone – A vibrating alarm that doesn’t disturb others can work as well.
So, every time your phone rings, you take a mindful pause. Every time you hear the ring of a text message, pause to be mindful of your surroundings rather than immediately reacting by checking the message. All these things are opportunities to come back into the present moment, to see yourself and your surroundings in a refreshing way. You take a small step back and reflect rather than automatically react to what’s coming at you in the form of demands, tasks, and challenges.
- Be a Single-Tasker
Single-tasking is doing one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is trying to do two or more tasks at the same time or going back and forth between different tasks. Nobody can actually multi-task. In reality, your brain is switching from one thing to the next, often losing information in the process. Most people know multitasking is not very effective nowadays. If multi-tasking is so inefficient, why do people still do it? The reason was uncovered in a study by Zheng Wang at Ohio State University. She tracked students and found that when they multi-tasked, it made them feel more productive, even though in reality they were being unproductive. Other studies found that the more you multitask, the more addicted you get to it.
Here is one way to kick the multi-tasking habit and become a mindfulness superstar:
- Keep a journal of what you achieve in a block of time. Write out when you’re single-tasking and when you’re multitasking. Take note on what you achieved in that time block and how mindful you were.
Over time, you’ll find yourself more mindful by incorporating some of these tips into your life, leading to greater success and personal growth.
Professional Coaching I Personal Development 