“Mindfulness” has been a major buzzword for the past few years — but do you know what the term really means? According to Psychology Today, mindfulness simply refers to “a state of active, open attention on the present.” Think of mindfulness as a more elevated, deliberate “carpe diem” philosophy — one that can reduce anxiety and increase productivity. When practiced in the workplace, mindfulness can help employees find greater meaning in their work, which can lead to a greater sense of fulfillment and engagement. Ready to get your “ohm” on? Try these tips for incorporating mindfulness in the workplace:
- Don’t Hit the Ground Running: Okay, this doesn’t sound like the best advice to apply in the cutthroat world of business, but hear me out. Instead of arriving at work and immediately firing up your computer to shoot off ten emails before you’ve even taken a sip of coffee, take a moment to set a mindful intention for the day. Think of this as “centering” yourself before you dive into work.
- Avoid Multitasking: When we multitask, we actually become less productive and less accurate in our work, since we’re constantly forcing our minds to shift from task to task. So put down that phone, notepad, coffee cup, and computer mouse (how are you juggling all that stuff with only two hands anyway?) and focus on only one task at a time. Try focusing methods like the famous Pomodoro Technique to keep your mind on task.
- Remind Yourself to Be Mindful: Especially if you’re just starting out on your mindfulness journey, it can be hard to remember to live — and work — in the moment. Don your desk with a cute poster bearing a mindfulness aphorism, or even set your phone’s alarm to vibrate every hour or so to prompt yourself to get back into a mindful headspace.
- Get Your Beauty Rest: You know how hard it is to focus on that Excel spreadsheet when you’ve only gotten three hours of sleep … so why do you keep coming into work totally groggy anyway? Make getting enough sleep each night — for millennials, that should be about seven to nine hours — an absolute priority so you can better practice mindfulness the following day.
- Stop Stressing About Stress: According to new research, stress itself isn’t necessarily harmful — it’s stressing over how much stress we’re under that’s, well, making us even more stressed out. Mindfulness can help in this area, too; next time you’re stressed, take a moment to be thankful for the stress you’re experiencing. Recognize that stress can be a force for good. For example, when we’re stressed, our hearts start pounding and pumping more blood, which gives us more energy to tackle the stressful task at hand.
- Practice Conscious Emailing: Email may be the biggest nemesis of practicing mindfulness at work — those constant inbox pings add up to a whole lot of overwhelm and are insanely distracting. Before you send your next email, take a moment to approach its composition in a mindful way. Ask yourself how you want the recipient to respond to the email, what you want the final outcome to be, and how the tone of your email is coming across. And don’t forget, sometimes a real-life conversation will serve you a whole lot better than an email, so keep practicing those communication skills.
- Get Your App On: Not sure where to start with this whole mindfulness thing? There are coaches for that — but they’re pretty expensive. Download an app instead. Try Headspace or Calm for mindfulness and meditation exercises that are unobtrusive enough to do at work.
- Just Breathe: But breathe strategically. Breathing exercises are Mindfulness 101, and they’re so easy to do at your desk. Bascially, take a break from your task and focus on inhaling and exhaling deeply for just a few minutes — a quick breathing break is sure to “breathe” more life into your work day. For a more in-depth walk through on mindful breathing, check out this guide on HealthyPsych.com.
- Take a Break: Humans weren’t made to work eight hours straight everyday, so taking a break every now and then will help you recharge and reinvigorate the rest of your schedule. Make sure you’re not plowing through lunch at your desk, and try taking a couple of other mini breaks before and after lunch (plus, these breaks are the perfect time to fire up one of your mindfulness apps for a quick exercise).
- Go Tech Free: At least for a small part of your day. We know it’s hard to do at work, but being tethered to technology has been shown to make us way more distracted, and millennials, especially, are in need of a digital detox. Even a small break from all the screens can make a big difference. For example, if you’re used to texting your way through your lunch break, consider leaving your phone at your desk and reading a book instead. It’s hard to be mindful of the moment at hand when you’re scrolling through Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn all at once!
What other tactics do you use to get in the mindfulness zone while at work? Share with us in the comments below!