Through deadlines, long hours, and a lack of vacation time, it is often easy to neglect the needs of your mind and body and to live in the present moment. Finding a moment for yourself at work may seem impossible, and you may think it could take away from the little time you have to finish all your tasks. However, being mindful while in the office may significantly help your work performance and boost your productivity.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a practice that involves focusing on your senses and what is happening around you. On many occasions, this can be done through meditation, but there are several more ways you can be mindful at work.
Try these methods of practicing mindfulness:
- Notice Your Environment – Focusing on everything around you can be challenging, but being conscious of your environment is a great way to bring mindfulness into your office space. To keep your mind from wandering, set an intention for yourself before starting your workday. If you find your mind wandering throughout the day, redirect your focus back to your intention.
- Direct Your Focus to One Thing at a Time – Oftentimes, you may find yourself with a full schedule, trying to complete multiple tasks at the same time. Multitasking is not good for the brain. You lose data when your brain switches gears from one task to another. Instead, direct your attention to one task at a time. Try to observe how productive you are while handling one job.
- Keep a Journal – You could also keep a journal and jot down how you felt while focusing on one task and how much time each task individually takes you. Then you can evaluate how much more productive you were while focusing on just one task.
- Set Reminders – Mindfulness is great in theory, but you can often forget it in the midst of a full schedule. If you continue to fail to be mindful, try setting an alarm. This way, if your mind wanders throughout the day, you redirect yourself to the present moment through these reminders. Eventually, this behavior will become natural, and you will not need any more reminders.
- Be an Optimist – You have so much in life to be grateful for, but it is easy to focus solely on the negative aspects of life. Routine may feel draining, but focusing on all your daily blessings makes it easier to form a greater acceptance of what you do have instead of only focusing on what you lack.
How May Mindfulness Increase Your Work Performance?
It is easy for your brain to go on autopilot to get through the workday. We are not always aware of the work we are doing; we just do it. However, breaking into consciousness may enhance engagement while at work. Workers who have reported practicing mindfulness have also been rated by their superiors as more engaged in their work. Employees who are more engaged in their work tasks also tend to exhibit better work performance when ranked by their superiors. This is especially true for mentally or physically demanding jobs.
Mindfulness may also help you enjoy your work more. If you are present more often at work, it is easier for you to appreciate more about your job, such as the importance of your role and how you may be contributing to the greater good. Whether you’re in marketing, the trades, or finance, mindfulness can make you a better employee to your superiors, coworkers, and, most importantly, yourself.
