Mindfulness or the act of paying attention to what’s happening in the present moment could help you stay focused, reduce stress, and even work with others more productively.
There are lots of situations in which you can practice mindfulness.
Mindfulness can be helpful when working on a difficult or complicated project, especially when you’re having trouble focusing on what needs to be done.
Suppose you’re worried the project will fail, or that you’ll run out of time to complete it before it’s due.
All these thoughts about the future distract you from actually working on the project.
Practice being mindful by focusing on what’s happening to you right now.
Acknowledge the situation, resist being judgmental or negative and redirect your attention to the task at hand.
One of the most essential times to be mindful is when something unexpected pops up.
If an urgent problem arises or your coworker asks you to do something at the last minute, you may find yourself tempted to extrapolate to what could go wrong or how this is going to impact your weekend.
Instead, be aware of the emotions you feel, but consciously redirect them towards a productive response, focusing on what you’re going to do.
Mindfulness doesn’t just apply when you’re on your own, it will help you communicate more effectively when working with others too.
First, focus on keeping yourself engaged in the conversation.
Second, be sincere, generous, and compassionate with your input and be receptive, and open in receiving it from others.
Before you react to criticism by expressing hurt feelings or escalating the conflict, mentally acknowledge the emotions you’re feeling, and then set them aside.
The step of acknowledging your emotions will make it easier to focus on how to shift them towards interest in productive solutions that address your goals rather than your upset.
Mindfulness is not complicated on its face, but it’s extremely difficult to practice consistently.
But the more you practice, the more you’ll be receptive to what’s happening around you, individually or as a group.
Meaning you’ll handle distractions more easily.
