Research supports that mindfulness provides a plethora of benefits. But, how beneficial is that 30 minutes of meditating if you spend the next eight hours completely stressed out, running between back-to-back meetings and managing a million messages to the point where you are on the verge of losing your temper?
The fact is: We aren’t present, and we aren’t even aware that we aren’t present.
We try to multitask in meetings. Actually, over 70% of people bring other work to meetings.
We wolf down food at our desks, and we can’t remember how we got to work, let alone the conversation that we just had. We are distracted. For 47% of the day, our minds are wandering.
Here are a few ways you can stay present in the moment to do your best during a busy day:
Monotask: Focus on one activity at a time. Science and research support that we can’t actually multitask. When we think we are multitasking, we are actually just rapidly switching between tasks, and we aren’t very efficient at it.
Mindful Meetings: Put technology away. Next, start your meetings by outlining the goal and agenda. During the meeting, stay present and focus on the conversation. When you get distracted, acknowledge it and come back to the discussion.
Mealtimes: Only eat when hungry. Chew all of your food slowly without distractions. Deliberately sense the taste and texture. Stop eating when you start to feel full.
Notifications: Turn off all notifications.This includes email, cell phone, texts, chats, etc. Schedule a specific time to check and reply to messages.
Want to learn more ways to increase productivity and build resilience? Individuals can contact me for 1:1 Coaching or corporate clients can work with me through workshops or four-week training courses.
Comments