Mindfulness and Productivity

Mindfulness and productivity may sound contradicting, but practicing mindfulness is a major key in being productive. Many people still see mindfulness as something you practice outside of work, as an activity with a dedicated time and place. While meditating or doing yoga can be amazing vectors for mindfulness, they’re not the only ways to stay in touch with our thoughts, feelings, and the world around us. Being mindful means interrupting the autopilot mode we often use on a day-to-day basis, taking the time to appreciate the little things, and observing your mental events.

The Benefits of Mindfulness at Work

Paying attention to your environment, thoughts, feelings, and actions in the present moment has a lot of benefits, especially for your productivity.

Better, More Efficient Work

Practicing mindfulness improves your attention and makes you less likely to be distracted, thus keeping your mind where it needs to be. Mindfulness keeps you focused on the task at hand, thereby allowing for more productivity.

Less Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety are never good for productivity. We bring about stress by imagining negative scenarios like the presentation we’re giving in an hour. Stressing about something that hasn’t even happened is pointless. Mindfulness teaches us to redirect those negative and worrying thoughts back to the present moment. It allows us to stay calm, which makes for a better, more productive you.

Better Sleep

It seems like all the stressors of life pile up on us when we get into bed at night. It’s those thoughts that keep us up all night as we’re reminded of the bills, not-so-good quarter figures, etc. that we’re currently facing. Proper sleep is crucial to your productivity, and mindfulness reminds us to bring our thoughts back to our warm, comfy bed so we can fall asleep quicker and rest longer.

A Stronger Immune System

Stress and being overworked can cause burnout, which can lead to illness. Your immune system can only take so much. Mindfulness can improve your immunity because it helps to eliminate the stress and feeling of being burned out. With less illness, we’re more prone to productivity.

Increased Happiness

Studies show a direct link between the time spent practicing mindfulness and a person’s capacity for happiness. Feeling more positive, with less negative emotions, is bound to make you more productive in life. Negative thinking, sadness, and depression make you less productive.

Mindful Productivity Principles to Incorporate Daily

Mindful practices can be applied to everyday tasks to optimize productivity, happiness and success. How can you become more mindful in the context of a busy workday? How can you apply mindfulness principles at work? There are many, but here are a few ways you can inject mindfulness strategies into your workday.

Heighten Your Curiosity

It’s okay to be inquisitive. We all know kids ask lots of questions, and research has shown that 98% of youth get the highest possible score on a standardized creativity test. Only 2% of adults get that score. That’s because the decrease in creativity has been linked to a decrease in curiosity. To be more productive, take time to learn, ask questions, and don’t take anything you already think you know for granted.

Evaluate Your Work Environment

Be mindful of your workspace and consider how it may affect your productivity. Is it cluttered? Is it noisy? Learn what type of environment works best for you and adapt your environment to fit that situation.

Schedule Blocks of Time Accordingly

Schedule your day to incorporate multiple tasks to focus on a single task at a time. Give yourself a block of time for everything you need to do, including breaks. Schedule breaks throughout the day, even if you don’t need coffee. Schedule a brief break just to be mindful of your thoughts, emotions, and environment.