Mindfulness has become a buzzword in recent years, yet, from my experience, it’s so much more. This practice is extremely beneficial for self-awareness, mental health, cognitive function, and, yes, even work performance. A brief 10-minute mindfulness meditation is enough to help train the mind to rein in wandering, repetitive, or anxious thoughts, so you can refocus on the task at hand. This, in turn, makes it easier to finish the project without interruptions or distractions competing for your attention. The benefits of mindfulness are hard to ignore, both in the workplace and in every other area of life. Here's how to leverage it at work.

1. WHY MINDFULNESS
ENCOURAGES WORK
PERFORMANCE
THE
PRODUCTIVITY
BOX

2. Mindfulness helps reduce
stress levels
Mindfulness is extremely bene
fi
cial for self-awareness,
mental health, cognitive function, and, yes, even work
performance. According to this research paper published
in 2019, employees who worked at a high-pressure
biotech
fi
rm showed signi
fi
cant stress reduction after
practicing a mindfulness intervention. That’s because
mindfulness teaches the brain to concentrate on the
present with non-judgmental awareness. The next time
stress rears its head, return your awareness to the
present. Focus on taking deep, slow, even breaths.

3. Mindfulness boosts focus
and attention
One of the main predictors of strong work performance is
the ability to focus for long periods of time. Mindfulness
helps cultivate this skill because its goal is intense
concentration on a singular moment. Practicing this can
change neural pathways to connect three networks in
your brain that in
fl
uence focus, attention span, and
emotional regulation, explains the Scienti
fi
c Reports
Journal. So how does connecting these neural networks
increase your concentration on the job? When all three
regions interact directly with one another, their combined
processes work together to optimize focused thinking.

4. Mindfulness increases
work engagement
It’s no secret that when you feel high levels of motivation,
commitment, and satisfaction at work, you’re more willing
to put in a solid, consistent effort. But if it’s hard for you to
feel engaged, mindfulness can help in that area too. In
fact, there’s a direct correlation between mindfulness and
positive work engagement, according to Frontiers in
Psychology. The research suggests that practicing
mindfulness can make employees more innovative,
energized, resilient, adaptable, and enthusiastic in their
roles. It’s actually quite simple—the better you feel, the
more productive you’ll be.

5. How to start your own
mindfulness practice
If you’re new to mindfulness (or it’s been a while), don’t
stress about the learning curve. Mindfulness can seem
unnatural at
fi
rst since most of us aren’t used to silencing
mental chatter and tuning our awareness to the present.
As with any other skill, it can be honed incrementally.
Be patient with yourself and take it one step at a time with
these simple strategies to build mindfulness into your
routine.

6. Begin with short intervals
It’s unrealistic to expect that you’ll launch into a half-hour
mindfulness practice right away, and that’s okay. Start
with 5 or 10-minute sessions and gradually increase the
amount of time as you feel comfortable. This will help you
adapt to being quiet, aware, and fully present with no
external stimuli to cause a distraction.
Breaking your mindfulness practice down into short
intervals will make it feel more natural and less
intimidating.

7. Focus on your breathing
Conscious breath work activates the neural processes in
your brain responsible for focused attention and stress
relief, according to Scienti
fi
c Reports.
When you inhale deeply from the diaphragm, then exhale
slowly and intentionally, your nervous system relaxes and
gives the brain a rhythmic, stabilizing pattern to
concentrate on. As a result, you feel calmer and more
emotionally centered to take on challenges with a clear,
level head.

8. Connect with your senses
One of the most effective ways to root your mind in the
present is to tune into your senses. At any moment, you
can ask yourself: What can I see, hear, touch, smell, or
taste?
Pay attention to the various colors of artwork on your
wall. Listen to the sound of the air conditioner in your
of
fi
ce. Feel the texture of wood grain on your desk.
Breathe in the aroma of your hot coffee right from your
cup and enjoy its robust
fl
avor. Try whatever works for
you, be it a smell, a taste, a sound or even a touched
texture.

9. Meditation helps
Meditation is an excellent gateway into mindfulness. This
technique will walk you through how to deepen your
breath, redirect your thoughts, build your self-awareness,
and regulate your emotions. And as we already have
learned,meditation can empower your work performance.
The bene
fi
ts of mindfulness are hard to ignore, both in the
workplace and in every other area of life. Bring
mindfulness into your daily routine so you can leverage it
at work, while feeling more focused and less stressed.

10. LET’S GET OUT OF
THE PRODUCTIVITY
BOX
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