7 Ways to Be More Mindful at Work

What if every day it worked felt relatively effortless? Days flew by, and you weren’t completely drained of energy and passion by 3:30 in the afternoon. If work were easy, it wouldn’t be called work. We’re all at least familiar with that sentiment. And it’s especially compounded with many more of us working from home. 

Well, it doesn’t have to be this way. Being mindful at work can help you make your workday more effortless, less straining, and be something that you like to do if not love. 

KEY POINTS

• Incorporating mindfulness into your workday can help you be much more healthy, mentally, physically, and emotionally at work and sail through your day with ease and a feeling of fulfillment. 

My Experience

My job is as a sales engineer supporting sales reps for a software company. That means I do presentations and demonstrations to aid the sales reps in selling our software. So that means, among other things, that I’m not in complete control of my calendar. Whenever they need to get into a meeting, they can schedule me for that meeting. 

I often don’t have a choice. Or control over. When things happen and where. I’m often told I need to travel, and I don’t have complete control over my travel schedule. 

I’m affected by the sales reps’ quotas and deadlines, even though I’m not directly measured to them as I’m supporting them. I’m helping them achieve those. I’ve got detailed reporting that I have to do. I have to keep updated on the latest training of the software of the business of the industry. I’ve got many other dealings that I have to do with other departments and relationships that I have to maintain. 

As you can imagine, this is all a recipe for me to become easily distracted and frustrated. I can also become overwhelmed with my day-to-day activities. What does it mean to be mindful at work? Mindfulness is simply being aware of and awake to the present moment. Mindfulness is being mindful of something. 

Whatever you’re doing at that present moment. And it helps you be more content all day during work getting through your issues, getting through tasks and situations more confidently with ease without any additional emotional weight. It’s not just being relaxed or taking breaths. It’s comfortable and confident in your work. Comfortable with yourself. And how you go about your workday.

Here are seven ways you can bring mindfulness into your workday. 

1- Be consciously present.

Whatever you’re doing, be right there at that moment. Avoid being distracted by or worrying about the future. Don’t get caught up thinking about what happened in the past. The only thing that exists is what’s right in front of you this moment here, right now. 

The past is history, and the future is a mystery, as the saying goes. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, be present, give it your full attention and be right there. 

2 – Don’t Multitask. Be a single tasker.

If you’re trying to do two things at once, you’re not doing either one of them. One of the most effective ways you can be consciously present is by focusing on one thing at a time. Give it your full attention giving it everything you need, your focus, effort, and mental energy. And if whatever you’re doing isn’t worth that, it isn’t worth giving all of that at that particular time. Then that’s good information. Maybe you need to be doing something else. Perhaps you need to be working on another task to put all of your focus, effort, mental energy towards and be fully present. 

3 – Take mindfulness breaks throughout your day, using short mindfulness exercises.

I’m a big fan of the Pomodoro Technique. If you’re not familiar, the Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that uses a timer to break down work into focused intervals. You work for 25 minutes. Then you take a five-minute break. Repeat that three more times, take a 15-minute break, then start over again.

Working this way has become helpful in my productivity. Not only in just maintaining my focus, but it also encourages me to get up out of my seat every 25 minutes and take a little walk around. Just stand up, stretch my legs, at least. So, I’m not sitting all day. After all, sitting is the new smoking, right? 

Typically, when my five-minute break window comes up, I take the first minute and do a quick mindfulness break. 

Here’s a quick mindfulness exercise from Thích Nhất Hạnh, often called the father of mindfulness. Simply breathe slowly and deeply, bringing awareness to the breath. As you do, focus on the following:

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. 

Breathing out, I know I am breathing out. 

Breathing in, I notice my in-breath has become deeper. 

Breathing out, I notice that my out-breath has become slower.

Breathing in, I calm myself. 

Breathing out, I feel at ease. 

Breathing in, I smile. 

Breathing out, I release. 

Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment. 

Breathing out, I feel it is a wonderful moment. 

4 – Embrace stress and other emotions.

Have a proper relationship with them. Don’t let them drive the bus. Meaning, don’t let your feelings be in charge of your reactions. Don’t let your response to a particular situation dictate your entire emotional state for the rest of the day. Now, this doesn’t mean being completely devoid of emotions. Mindfulness is about being aware of and accepting those emotions those reactions. And to be clear, acceptance isn’t resignation. Meaning if something’s making you stress, you don’t have just to accept that you’re stressed and continue to be stressed. Instead, realize the effect on you and what it is that’s causing your stress. 

And what can you do about it? That relationship enables you to put those emotions in their proper place. To not have them completely control what you’re doing. Their purpose is to inform you about something. If you’re stressed, perhaps that’s telling you that the deadline is approaching, informs you of the situation’s gravity and that the task needs your full attention. 

So when you experience emotions, be aware of them, take note of them. Understand how you are reacting to them? From there, you can distance yourself from them, putting them in their proper place, and not allowing them to have a more significant effect on you. 

5 – Feel gratitude. 

You’ve probably read numerous articles advising you to write a gratitude journal and be thankful for these things in your life. There’s a reason so many people recommend this. By adopting a gratitude mindset or this “attitude of gratitude,” you can put things into proper perspectives. 

As the Persian proverb says (though it’s often attributed to many others), “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” That’s a parable to make us think about the situation can always be different. All things are relative. What may be troublesome and stressful for you might be the life someone else would like to have. 

Be thankful for what you have. Don’t think about what you don’t have. Be grateful for what you have; be grateful for who you are. And be grateful for the people that are in your life. 

6 – Have empathy and humility.

Empathy is an overused word in today’s business culture. The way that I’m using empathy is. Adopting or feeling the emotions of another. Sympathy is feeling for someone recognizing that they’re feeling a certain feeling and acknowledging that essential. Empathy is taking that a step further and feeling that understanding; it’s walking around in their shoes. 

Being able to do that helps you connect with and understand people better. It allows you to connect with and understand yourself better. Having humility helps you to put things in their proper place; they are what they are; you are what you are. You’re not conflating your ego or doing things for your self-gratification. Maintain that humility.

7 – Wake up early.

Yes, you hear all about this morning routine, and you got to get up at five am to exercise and write in your journal and do your one most important thing and

all these things before you start your workday. That’s not necessarily what I’m talking about. 

Well, those things have their place. Having a morning routine, I think is essential, at a minimum, to give yourself enough time. To not be rushed in the morning, so that when you’re brushing your teeth, you can be mindful of brushing your teeth your mind isn’t on other things your mind isn’t on how much time you have to get out the door and over to work. 

Give yourself some time to have that cup of coffee or to eat breakfast, give yourself enough time to where you’re not stressed, you’re not starting your day in a frantic state trying to keep up with this clock. Instead, give yourself enough time to be peaceful to be calm, and move through your day with these. 

Conclusion

By doing these seven things, you could be more content with your work. As you work, be much more healthy, mentally, physically, and emotionally at work and sail through your day with ease and a feeling of fulfillment. 

And if you want some more information about being mindful, sign up for our email newsletter and get your beginner’s guide to mindfulness workbook. 

“Good questions outrank easy answers.” – Paul A. Samuelson (American economist)

• What does being aware of and awake to the present moment at work mean to you?
• How will you include mindfulness breaks and exercises into your workday?
• What is it about your vocation that gets you out of bed every morning?
• What makes you feel great to be part of it and great and feel good to go to work?

Want more? Get the free guide “Quiet Confidence: A Men’s Guide to Living a Free, Authentic, Joyful, Centered, & Purposeful Life“

This workbook will introduce mindfulness as a foundation for living a more deliberate, authentic, purposeful life of peace, freedom, health, and fulfillment.