Mindfulness is our ability to be present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. It can be seen as a spiritual practice, but it isn’t tied to a religion or belief, so it’s something anyone can practice easily.
Whenever you bring your awareness to what you’re experiencing through your senses, or to your state of mind via your thoughts and emotions, you’re being mindful. And there’s growing research showing that when you train your brain to be mindful, you’re remodeling the physical structure of your brain for the better.
- Make a clear decision at the start of your workday to be present as best you can. Pause for a few moments before you start your work day to set this intention in your mind.
- Use short mindfulness exercises like counting 5 slow breaths.
- Keep a time journal of what you achieve in a block of time. Work out when you’re single-tasking and when you’re multi-tasking. Note down what you achieved in that time block and how mindful you were.
- Setting an alarm on the phone – even a vibrating alarm that doesn’t disturb others can work well.
- Adopt a growth mindset: Use the following four steps to develop a growth mindset, based on research by Carol Dweck and her colleagues:
- Listen to the voice of a fixed mindset in your head. This is about being mindful of your own thoughts when faced with a challenge. Notice if the thoughts are telling you that you don’t have the talent, the intelligence or if you find yourself reacting with anxiety or anger when someone offers feedback to you.
- Notice that you have a choice. You can accept those fixed mindset thoughts or question them. Take a few moments to practice a mindful pause.
- Question the fixed mindset attitudes. When your fixed mindset says “What if I fail? I’ll be a failure,” you can ask yourself “Is that true? Most successful people fail. That’s how they learn.” Or if fixed mindset says “What if I can’t do this project? I don’t have the skills,” reply with “Can I be absolutely sure I don’t have the skills? In truth, I can only know if I try. And if I don’t have the skills, doing this will help me to learn them.”
- Take action on the growth mindset. This will make you enjoy the challenges in the workplace, seeing them as opportunity to grow rather than avoid. Use the above system if you mind starts leaning towards the fixed mindset.
