How to keep your mindfulness at work

We rarely “focus and attend” to any work for more than three to five minutes. Emails, messages, and other forms of social media keep us constantly distracted. It’s no surprise that being mindful at work is difficult.

But don’t give up too soon!

Above all, mindfulness takes practice, and the professional recommendations below will help you stay off autopilot and mindful throughout your workday.

1. Be present in the moment.

Focusing your consciousness on the present moment and giving your complete concentration to the work at hand is how mindfulness is attained.

When you’re writing a report consciously, for example, you give it your undivided attention. You carefully select the words you enter. You’re still conscious of how your chair supports you and how the keyboard keys feel under your fingers.

Here are some additional mindfulness tips to help you succeed:

• Make an attempt to work more deliberately, even if it means taking it slower at first—it will pay off in the long term.
• Keep the benefits of being present in mind to keep you motivated. Mindfulness will help you do your best work by bringing a profound sense of peace and focus to your day.
• Give your undivided attention to seemingly little jobs like typing, copying, and dialing phone numbers. Focus on your breathing if you’re just waiting in a conference room. These small moments can re-energize you and bring you unexpected joy and peace.

Mindful exercises can help you train your brain to be more completely present throughout the day and build a sense of inner calm. Make time every day for a few focused exercises.

When work-related stress is getting to you, try a mindful workout. Simply closing your eyes and tuning out for two minutes can help reset your neurological system, reduce the fight-or-flight reaction, and engage your brain’s smartest half. You’ll be significantly less reactive and more equipped to make wise selections once you’ve relaxed.

Doing one item at a time is referred to as single-tasking. Multitasking entails attempting to complete two or more things at once, or switching back and forth between them. Multitasking is quite common in our fast-paced society because it makes us feel more productive. In actuality, if we don’t devote our complete attention to the task at hand, we won’t be able to concentrate clearly and will be less productive.

Here are a few suggestions for breaking the multitasking habit:

• Set aside brief periods of time to do specific jobs or projects, and concentrate solely on them during that time. 
• Turn off as many distractions as possible. Turn off your phone, close your email account, and so forth. Then set a timer for however long you need to work and keep track of how much you accomplish.
• During gaps between chores, practice mindfulness. Get up, stretch, take some deep breaths, or go for a mindful walk once you’ve finished a task.

Even for seasoned meditators and mindfulness trainees, remembering to be attentive can be difficult. The reason behind this is that the brain’s natural (default) mode is to lose itself in contemplation while running internal narratives. Our brains spontaneously flip into this unmindful state as we go about our regular routines.

Reminders might assist you in returning to mindfulness. Here are some useful reminders to consider:

• Include mindful workouts in your everyday routine – make a commitment to yourself and stick to it.
• Keep a little note or a picture of mindfulness on your desk to remind you to be attentive.
• Certain activities, such as meal times or meetings, or when concluding one activity and beginning another, are associated with awareness.
• Use the sound of bells and rings as “bells of mindfulness” in the workplace.

Humans have a “negativity bias,” as psychologists describe it. That is, people have a proclivity to react more strongly to negative stimuli than they do to equally strong positive stimuli.

However, in today’s world, negative bias is essentially a buzzkill. It dampens our joy and makes us vulnerable to dread and anxiety.

Our jobs are plenty with things to be concerned about, from potential future layoffs to the boss’s perceived negative vibes. That is why it is critical to combat our flawed programming.