We get it — you’re busy. It’s hard to be involved in the business world, no matter what your position may be, without having a hectic schedule. The more involvement you have with a business — like if you’re an entrepreneur and the head of your startup — the less time you have to keep up with things that aren’t business.
One such area of your life could be staying mindful, and that’s too bad. Work involves stress, panic, anxiety, frustration. Mindfulness may not be able to clear your to-do list for you, but it can keep your head clear and thoughts contained. Mindfulness is a life-saver if you’re someone who is easily stressed and needs something to help them stay grounded during their day-to-day life.
Worst of all, toxic emotions like stress and anxiety don’t just impact your ability to work — they also take a toll on your body. If you’re easily making mistakes because you’re overwhelmed AND you’re too exhausted to work at full capacity, you’ve got a problem. Mindfulness can fix it for you.
Here’s the question, though: how do you stay mindful when you’re constantly having to work within a hectic business environment?
1. Train Your Brain to Wander
A common misconception is that you need to devote a large chunk of time to something like meditation in order to stay mindful. The reality is that mindfulness is actually more effective when performed in short bursts. When you devote a large chunk of time to mindfulness, you focus on it more which can actually hinder your ability to truly escape your mind.
Instead, set aside just five minutes of your day and spend it doing absolutely nothing. You don’t have to do it while you’re at your desk trying to work — use it during a break or while you’re at lunch. Take a five-minute restroom break, sit in the stall and stare at the wall. That’s all it takes to be mindful.
2. Focus On Your Body
Your body is going to be a constant in your life, so focus your mindfulness practices on it. It’s not going anywhere, making it the perfectly portable mindfulness tool.
When was the last time you felt the temperature of the room when it wasn’t one extreme or the other? We often feel the temperature around us when we recognize it as too cold or really hot, but we often don’t feel the air around us if it’s at a neutral temperature. Use this example as an exercise in body mindfulness.
3. Notice Your Movement
Finally, walk with a purpose. No, not in the “shoulder’s back, head up high” way — pay attention to the movements you make when you walk. Slow your pace and feel every step that you take. Listen to the sounds you make as you walk.
You don’t have to be walking to do this either. Try and click your brain on autopilot while you type, looking at the way your hands move and the sounds they make while you type. Something as simple as this can be an exercise in mindfulness.
