Mindfulness at work: the 11 best tips

The workplace is the place to focus on getting assignments done on time, but it is also the place where you suffer most from distractions, procrastination and insecurities. The way to get your brain thinking about something other than the moment and the task at hand. Mindfulness at work can make you more productive, more efficient and lead to more inspiration.

That's why in this article, I will discuss the best ways to apply mindfulness at work.

A brain that is mindful is focused and aware of things happening in your mind and around you. You are able to focus on your task and recognize distractions for what they are, whether it is a thought or the need to quickly check your e-mail or the news. Recognizing the distraction also makes it easier to let go of the distraction and get back to your task.

The science on mindfulness at work

You might think mindfulness is a bit too “woo-woo” for the workplace, but nothing could be further from the truth. Scientific studies are now even being conducted on the effect of mindfulness on the productivity of people in service roles. This study shows that practicing mindfulness at work has a positive impact on work engagement and the quality of task performance. Implementing mindfulness in the workplace has already been proven effective for people who provide customer service in the business world.

In addition, research conducted among university employees shows that mindfulness is beneficial to health and can help reduce absenteeism at work. This study found that the inflammation levels of the university employees had decreased marginally significantly after 2 months of mindfulness practice. This suggests that the decrease was likely due to the mindfulness practice. Furthermore, this effect was greater among employees with a BMI below 30 than among those with a BMI above 30.

Inflammation levels are one of the most important biomarkers that give an indication about your health.

Therefore, researchers also indicate that the benefits of mindfulness at work seem promising and more research needs to be conducted. Currently, scientific research on mindfulness is still in its infancy, but it already has benefits for engagement and quality of work and appears to have benefits for reducing absenteeism at work.

To make sure you can reap the benefits of mindfulness at work, in this article I provide the 11 best tips for applying mindfulness at work.

1 Set your intention for the day

Work days go on autopilot for many people. As a result, you often have a temper due to the circumstances of the day. Sometimes it is stressed, sometimes you are happy, sometimes grumpy it seems like you have no control over your mood. By setting your intention, of the feeling you want to have that day, such as loved or productive, your actions will more quickly lead to the desired result.

Every time you have a choice to make, you can move closer to achieving your intention or let it wander away from you. A drink after work with colleagues may make you feel valued, but being at home may be more loved again. It all depends on the intention of the day, and it's best to alternate between them each day.

This also prevents you from living on autopilot.

2 The first thing you do at work

You can start practicing mindfulness right at the beginning of your workday. When you’re at your desk, take a moment to clear your mind and ground yourself in the present moment. You probably already have all sorts of to-do lists in your head for the day, but try to take a moment to relax first. That way, you’ll also reduce your stress.

Sit for a few minutes, close your eyes, feel your body and its contact with the ground and the chair, and breathe in and out for a few minutes. Focus on that breathing. Then you can begin all the tasks of the day without already being totally stressed.

3 Do one thing at a time

This is a great alternative against multitasking, which has been scientifically proven that no one can do, including women. Multitasking is actually alternating activities in quick succession, and everyone knows that this is actually not productive at all. So don't get distracted by your e-mail, just focus on the moment.

4 Avoid your e-mail at the beginning of the day

Almost everyone has an e-mail addiction. This is because reading and answering your e-mail is an easy way to check off chores. This makes you feel good and therefore it is very tempting to check your e-mail during the day.

If you start checking your e-mail first thing in the morning you immediately start all kinds of distractions and short chores, when that's when you are at your most creative and focused. That energy is better used for more difficult tasks than e-mail.

When you do open your email, do so with mindfulness, focus on the most important emails and be aware of the ones that are just distractions. If a reply can wait, let it wait nicely so you can use your morning energy on something more difficult.

5 Get pleasure from your work where you can

This can be done by enjoying the flow you are in as you apply mindfulness, a nice conversation with a colleague or the amazing view from your office. By enjoying the small moments you create a positive work environment.

6 Be mindful in conversations

Speaking of having a nice conversation with your colleague. Be mindful in that moment, too. Focus on the conversation. Don't just hear what your colleague is saying, but actually listen.

How often does it happen that you only listen with half an ear, because your mind is somewhere else, and therefore you say yes to something you don't have time for at all? Applying mindfulness during a conversation will prevent you from making bad decisions.

7 Mindfulness in meetings

Okay, you don't have to immediately put your entire team on a mindfulness course to apply mindfulness in meetings. You can apply these tips yourself. Try applying 2 minutes of mindfulness meditation before a meeting so that you go into the meeting with an empty head. You can also do this while walking to the meeting location.

If you also want to get the team involved make sure you start the meeting with 2 minutes of silence. So that everyone is there physically and mentally. If possible also make sure that the meeting stops five minutes before the next activity, so that everyone can transition to their next task in a calm manner. This is also very pleasant for yourself.

8 Mindfulness during breaks

Use your breaks to strengthen the connection between your body and mind . Take a walk while practicing mindful walking. Enjoy your lunch by eating mindfully. Savor your lunch and enjoy the flavors.

9 Regular mindfulness after lunch

After lunch, you notice that you get tired. As a result, you may make wrong decisions. Therefore, turn on a timer on your phone that goes off every hour. When your timer goes off, stop what you are doing and start applying mindfulness meditation for a minute. You can do this just sitting at your desk. This will prevent your brain from going into an automatic mode that actually causes you to give in to all those activity addictions, like keeping checking your email.

10 Remind yourself to be mindful

Mindfulness is not something that is automatic. It's natural for thoughts to haunt your mind that want to distract you. Hanging post-its in your workplace with reminders of mindfulness makes it easier to keep your focus on the task at hand.

This can be just a color or a phrase that reminds you of mindfulness. It doesn't even have to be a post-it; it can be a fun image in a photo frame. Whatever works for you to act as a reminder is good.

11 Mindfulness before you go home

For the last 10 minutes of your workday, or after your workday, you turn off all electronic devices and just be. You relax, breathe, are aware of what is going on around you and in your body. Let thoughts that come to mind go and focus on your breathing. By doing this after your workday, but before you go home, you reduce the stress that has built up during the day and prevent your work from haunting your personal life.

Would you like to learn more about the benefits mindfulness can bring to all areas of your life? Then come to a seminar or check out the courses offered by the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands.

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201103/technology-myth-multitasking

http://hum.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/06/03/0018726713487753.abstract

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159112004710