Mindfulness: Focus and Awareness.
Mindfulness is difficult in open offices, which have lots of distractions and endless information to absorb. Being “always on” and constantly connected to your phone and social media also undermines your mindfulness. You probably find it challenging to stay present and focused on one task at a time, while simultaneously being aware of the distractions and different priorities competing for your attention. Mindfulness will help you focus on what is really important to you. It will also give you a better sense of balance, because you won’t be caught up in what you did yesterday and what you need to achieve tomorrow. Here are a few tips for improving:
- Practice being mindful for at least 5 minutes every day. Most people find mornings the best time to practice, but you can do it whenever your schedule allows. You might want to experiment to see what works best for you. Over time, see if you can work your way up to 10 minutes a day. Here is a 10-minute guided mindfulness practice and other resources to get you started. After practicing that for four weeks, switch to this guided training to strengthen your awareness.
- Stop multitasking, and do one thing at a time. Multitasking has been proven to decrease your focus and effectiveness. Try to keep your attention on what you’re doing, and notice when your mind drifts to another task. You’ll know you are multitasking if you are trying to balance many thoughts at the same time. When this happens, focus on one and close down the rest.
- Cut down on distractions. Notifications — on your phone, computer, or in person — distract you and decrease your focus. Try this: For one week, turn off all email notifications on all your devices. Only check your email once every hour, or as often as your job requires, but don’t give in to compulsively reading emails as they roll into your inbox. Within a week or two, this change will likely give you a stronger sense of focus, control and wellbeing.
- Give your phone (and your brain) a break. Our phones are wonderful devices, but they can make it difficult for us to be present with the people we are with, and to be efficient and effective in getting things done. When you are at work, consider setting up phone- and text-free times to make yourself unavailable. Let your coworkers know that these are “focus hours” for you, and spend this time concentrating on your most important tasks. When you come home, put your phone away so you can be fully present with your family and friends.
- Be present. Every time you find your mind wandering to the many tasks you still need to do, bring it back to what you’re currently doing. Be diligent and disciplined in reclaiming your attention — in meetings, while writing email, when at home, and during anything else you do.
This short article offers more tips for maintaining focus and awareness throughout your day. On this page you can also download a free app for Android and IPhone, to access tools for practicing mindfulness and integrating it into your day. And you can find a comprehensive training program in our book, One Second Ahead: Enhancing Your Effectiveness at Work with Mindfulness.
We recommend that you ask a friend or close colleague to answer the assessment questions based on their perspective of you. This will help you gain insight into your level of mindfulness.
