Do You Want to Be More Productive? Try Mindfulness

If becoming more productive is one of your New Year resolutions for 2023, this blog post is for you. Mindfulness, or the practice of being fully present in the current moment, comes with many benefits, including the potential to increase your productivity.

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a state of mind based on two basic components: awareness and acceptance. The origins of mindfulness can be traced back to Buddhist and Hindu teachings, but you don’t have to embrace a specific belief system to practice it. 

Mindfulness can be described as living in the present moment. This approach brings calm by encouraging us to observe and accept, rather than avoid, our thoughts and feelings.  

How Can Mindfulness Help You Become More Productive?

The most obvious benefit of mindfulness is that it helps you regulate your emotions by making evident the separation between your actual self and your gut reactions. You’ll still feel tired or frustrated, but you’ll be better able to deal with these difficult emotions, limiting their impact on your productivity. Additionally, mindfulness can improve the quality of your sleep and enhance your creativity by freeing your mind of unhelpful thoughts.

Practicing Mindfulness

You can practice mindfulness anywhere, without previous arrangements and without apps or tapes. All you have to do is focus your attention on something neutral; it can be a spot on the wall or your own breathing. Breathe deeply and pay attention to the sensations you experience, from sounds and smells to visual details you may have never noticed before. 

During this process you will have other thoughts, that’s inevitable. When they appear, let them be. Think of them as clouds passing by: notice them, pay attention to the effect they have on you, and then shift back your attention to your breathing or to whatever target you have chosen for this mindfulness exercise. 

An Easy Way To Deal With Frustration

Remember this simple mindfulness exercise you can apply whenever you feel frustrated: Take deep breaths as you count to ten making an effort to feel the floor beneath your feet. When we feel frustrated, we are often unable to focus on anything but our own heightened emotions. Like the previous technique, this exercise will help you create emotional distance between you and the situation that makes you feel uncomfortable.

More Tips and Ideas

At the ONE Inland Empire Chamber of Commerce, we are always looking for ideas that help foster the growth of your business. Here are some previous posts to help you do just that:

• How to use social media to advance your career
• Cybersecurity basics for small businesses
• 3 Simple ways to protect yourself against identity theft 
• Common grammar mistakes to avoid in your business emails

Interested in learning more about the ONE Inland Empire Chamber of Commerce? Contact us today by email (info@oneinlandempire.com), telephone (951-280-3902), or social media. We look forward to hearing from you!