Having Time for Mindfulness at Work

The weekends are always an excellent opportunity to reflect and take stock.

In today’s challenging climate, we are all being asked to do more with less, working extremely long hours with increasingly heavy workloads. We only rush from one task to another, and where we may think we’re efficient, we’re actually pushing our minds so far that we burn out. Our minds are full, a restless ocean of turbulent swells.

One way to calm the waves is in being more mindful.

The easiest way to explain mindfulness is that it means awareness. Practicing mindfulness creates a way to pay attention to the present moment, without judgment.

If you want to know if you are mindful or not, ask yourself if you’ve been doing this:

Paying more attention to your mobile than to your those around you at in meetings or meals?
Forget what others have said during conversations?
Rush through meals without tasting the food at all?
Arriving at work or home with no recollection of your journey?
Worry on past events or panic what the future holds?
Are you even skimming past this list?

If like me you said yes to some of them, there’s a high probability you’re on autopilot and just going through the motions.

I struggled, in the beginning, to make the difference between mindfulness and meditation, even though over the past few years both of them have been becoming increasingly visible in our society. It’s important to note that they are not mutually exclusive and they are not the same thing. However, they do co-exist and encourage each other in their intent.

Mindfulness we can also say is merely being fully present — and accepting what arises. Optimally, it is a state of awareness that we develop continuously. It’s not relegated to sessions to be done only in beautiful island retreats or isolated in a special room surrounded by jasmine garlands and Tibetan chants. To practice in that way (as wonderful as that may be) isn’t something achievable for most of us.

To meditate is to have a more focused practice of a chosen technique to train the mind. Although it cultivates a state of mindfulness, it is not mindfulness. Though with both practices there are many shared benefits including a retraining of the mind and overall healthy brain hygiene.

Like everything, you need to practice to be good at it, you need to put in the time, put in the effort. As much as I want to, I find I do struggle to find the time always to focus and put aside ‘me time’.

That’s the Catch-22, time is the one thing we don’t have a lot of and also the one thing we are very unwilling to give up.

If we step back, however, past the drone view and go into a satellite level of reflection, let’s put all this into perspective. Studies have shown that most leaders spend an average of 1,000 minutes awake every day. However, putting aside only 10 minutes — less than 1% of their waking hours — for ‘me time’ — for mindfulness proves challenging for some and not even a possibility for others.

Most leaders I speak to question if they should waste their time on mindfulness because they want to see the clear return and results; if it helps them in becoming better (read: effective) leaders.

From a theoretical perspective, many studies have indicated that consistent mindfulness training demonstrates growth in three capacities that are key for successful leadership in the 21st century: Ability to Collaborate, Resilience, and the Capacity to Lead in complex conditions.

From a practical perspective, any development (especially intrinsic), depends on the amount of application and practice an individual does. Attending training, reading books, (or even this article) may help develop the intent by learning some useful tools and techniques, but other improvements require consistent practice. As in every aspect of the practice, the more the better.

So what can we do? I try to focus on these 3 Mindful Techniques:

Mindful Breathing

The great thing about Mindful Breathing is we can practice it at any time of the day, no matter where we are. All you need to do is stop what you’re doing, take 3–5 mindful breaths, then continue what you were doing. What this means is to pay close attention to your breathing, and avoid any other thoughts. This helps stop the constant frenzy of thoughts in your mind, and as well as stay calm in tense situations.

I’ve often used Nadi Shodhana, also known as Alternate Nostril Breathing, which is a powerful breathing practice with wide-reaching benefits. Nadi is a Sanskrit word meaning “channel” or “flow” and shodhana means “purification.”

For me, the most noticeable benefit of this breathing is its effects on my mind. The alternate nostril breathing balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain and also helps with circulatory and respiratory issues. It is said to lower the heart rate while releasing stress, fatigue, and anxiety.

Sit comfortably, it’s important you are relaxed. Sit straight, lengthening the spine and relaxing the shoulders. Relax the muscles in your face and throat. Begin deep breathing in and out through the nose. Take a few minutes to release any stagnant energy in the body and establish a deep sense of awareness of the breath and body.

Bring your index and middle finger of the right hand together and into to palm. Bring the ring and pinky fingers together and straighten them up as much as possible.

Your right thumb will hold the right nostril closed as you inhale through the left nostril. Release the right thumb and hold closed the left nostril as you exhale out the right nostril. Continue this, inhaling through right nostril with left nostril held closed by pink and ring finger. Upon your exhale, press the thumb gently onto the right nostril, exhaling out the left nostril. That is one round or cycle.

Practice this for five to 10 rounds. I find I notice the soothing and calming effects even within the first few rounds. Remember to keep your inhales and exhales of an even length!

Mindful Listening

Most of us do not simply hear but not actually listen when we’re in a conversation. We are usually thinking about how to interject our opinion, or of something entirely different.

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply” ~ Stephen Covey

To truly practice deep listening, start by looking into other people’s eyes when you speak. Pay close attention to what they’re saying, and resist the temptation to let your mind wander off into other thoughts. This will dramatically improve your communication and relationships because others see that you’re sincerely interested in what they have to say. It shows appreciation and respect and works wonders for trust in working with others.

Mindful Speaking

We often do not think before we’re about to speak. In most circumstances, we just say what’s on our mind, without considering what the consequences will be or how our words will be interpreted. Often in both personal and professional situations, we regret saying things and wonder why these thoughts even came out.

Our speech can have a dramatic impact on our interactions and relationships. When you’re interacting with others, consider how they feel in your presence. Do they seem tense, or relaxed? The impact our words can either create chaos, calm or have no impact. When we consider the three, I think we would all agree that feeling calm is preferable both personally and professionally.

Practice mindful speech by choosing words more carefully, instead of simply reacting to what others say. Try choosing words that are more positive, loving, and respectful, especially in stressful situations. As with mindful listening, mindful speaking can bring about a tremendous amount of balance and clarity.

Mindfulness is simply possessing one thought or one action at any one given moment.

That’s just it.

Just be truly present.

The other key balance to this (and what is most probably the most challenging for all of us) is to accept whatever comes up in that given moment, and then let it go, within that same space. Whatever distractions or thoughts popping up will float away, leaving room for only one breath, one goal, and one thought at one given time.

As I try to be more mindful I find I need to always remind myself that I cannot expect perfection. Perfection is in the practice of being mindful. Just making the effort to start over, whatever the previous results were is perfection.

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Clarity is most needed when our thoughts are hectic, and when we aren’t able to clear our thoughts enough to have a single focus at one given moment. When we practice clearing the clutter away to get through and focus, we are achieving mindfulness.

The art of Tian Xutong is always calming to me. He often paints very simple motifs such as mountain tops, boats on the water and meditating monks. All his distinctively abstract pieces in clean spaces always take me on a peaceful and calming journey. Deceptively simple, I always find great character and intensity of mind and dive into recurring reflection when looking at his images.

There comes a point in being mindful when a deep calm falls over your whole self, while your mind is so clear in thinking and articulation. Similar to those who finished a great run, or cleared up a messy room, the sense of clarity and focus resonates in us. The goal is in practicing and clearing the clutter away so we have the ability to return to that condition. Our focus should be on being able to create and achieve that state.

We all know that life will bring forth moments that will send our emotions in all directions: disappointments, death, opportunities, surprises, etc. By developing mindfulness, we can clear the clutter away and attain clarity once again.

As we practice and our mind becomes more calm and balanced through mindful activities, these practices will come to us naturally. Imagine what it would be like if everyone at your job practiced mindfulness! With greater focus and awareness, everyone would clearly see how to work together to achieve their common goals. There would be more cooperation, less stress, better communication, and greater productivity. That just means a more fun work environment and much less stress on all of us.

Now as much as it is easy to discuss being mindful, it is deeply personal. It is a conscious choice, a conscious decision. We need to first decide how we want to practice. We then need to choose what we are going to change through our newly focused clarity. When we focus our attention on that one single act, the one single thought at each given moment, we should remember we are doing things that make a difference. In the end — isn’t that the reason why we do what we do, to make a difference?

The true question we need to ask ourselves is, can we find ‘me time’? Can we find time to practice being mindful? Can we find these 10 minutes? Trust me, I’m sure we can.

I may not find it today, I may not find it tomorrow, but I’m going to keep trying every day till I do; and I hope you do too.