6 March, 2019
Have you ever got to the end of the day and wondered…”what did I actually achieve today?” One of the casualties of today is that our minds are in the state of continual ‘partial attention’, in other words we never fully attend to anything and so lose hours – even days – with little awareness. In the workplace, this has a cost as we require our workforce to be able to aim and sustain attention and to stay on task delivering results. A workplace full of minds flicking back and forth can be a huge cost resulting in lower productivity.
So how do we begin to build a muscle of sustaining attention? Mindfulness is a good place to start. One of the many benefits of mindfulness practice is that we begin to build our muscle of sustaining attention, of sustaining focus and as a result become more productive within our time in the office. Training the mind to focus and concentrate is becoming more critical than ever in this 24/7 world where our attention is being pulled in 100 different directions at once.
Mindfulness is not about trying to clear your mind of all thought. On the contrary, it is about being mind FULL of all that you are presently experiencing, without judgement, just observing what is. Being consciously aware of what you are experiencing in the present keeps your mind focussed upon what is, rather than what has been or might be.
Scientific research also shows that people who practice mindfulness and also experience a decrease in stress levels, depression symptoms and an increase of resilience. Keeping in mind that one in four people will experience a mental health condition mindfulness is a simple, enjoyable method of reducing anxiety and keeping your mind healthy.
Finally, one of the other many benefits is the increase in emotional wellbeing and compassion for others. It tends to give us the ability to respond mindfully to a situation rather than react without much consideration resulting in more harmonious relationships at work. Can you image a workplace where your employees respond with careful consideration rather than impulsively react to one another?
So, a mindful workplace is not only of benefit to the individuals working within it, but to the organisation as a whole and definitely a thought to consider. Courses such as Personal Resilience and Mindfulness can be a powerful route to supporting the workforce and enhancing employee productivity.