6 Ways to Bring Mindfulness Into Your Workday

Practice staying present and focused with these simple strategies.

Reviewed by Tyler Woods

Key points

• Constant noise and distraction can pull us away from the present moment.
• Mindfulness practices can improve overall well-being, reduce stress, and increase focus and productivity.
• We can integrate mindfulness practices into our tasks and activities throughout the workday.

Amidst our busy days, a true sense of focus and calm can feel elusive. At any given moment, we have countless stimuli competing for our attention. With constant deadlines, meetings, emails, and unexpected challenges, it can feel like we are being pulled in a dozen different directions. I invite you to reflect:

What’s running through your head as you make the commute to work? Are you already worrying about all the things that could go wrong in today’s presentation? Maybe you’re wondering what you will do if your child’s sickness catches up with you and you have to miss work tomorrow. And what about that email you forgot to send before leaving work yesterday?

What are you often thinking about as you are working? Are you replaying the conversation you had with your client the other day? Is it the email inbox that awaits you overflowing? What about that last-minute request that just landed on your desk that will need to be next on your never-ending to-do list?

What’s floating around your mind as you make the commute home? Are you contemplating the feedback your boss shared with you earlier? Is it that thing you wished you had said during that meeting with your colleague last week? Are you running through all the things you need to do before your project deadline? Oh, and what’s for dinner?

According to research out of Harvard University, people spend about 47 percent of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they’re doing (Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010). We tend to spend so much of our time ruminating on the past or worrying about the future it leaves little room for the present.

Of course, reflection and forward-focused planning are important—we need time to learn from our past experiences and prepare for future challenges. Yet, when we spend too much time here, we can lose touch with what is happening right now. And the here and now is ultimately where we have the most control.

This is where mindfulness can make a difference. Mindfulness is the act of focusing our awareness on the present moment. It involves purposefully bringing awareness and attention to our thoughts, feelings, and sensations in our bodies without judgement.

Mindfulness has been shown to be effective in improving the mental and emotional well-being of those who practice it. According to a review of the literature by Good et al. (2015), mindfulness-based practices support emotion regulation and allow us to respond thoughtfully rather than react to the stressors in our day. These practices help to lower stress and ultimately decrease the risk of burnout. Moreover, mindfulness practices in the workplace can lead to improved focus, increased productivity, and deeper engagement in tasks. It can also improve interpersonal relationships.

So, now you may be wondering, “Where am I going to fit this into my already full calendar and days?” The reality is that it doesn’t need to be complex. We don’t need to try to make time. There are many opportunities presented to us throughout our workdays where we can practice being present and mindful.

Here are some ways we can practice mindfulness at work and incorporate it into our daily routine:

1. Take a few deep breaths: This is a simple practice that can have a big impact. Focusing on your breathing is one of the quickest ways to quiet the mental chatter, calm your nervous system, and bring you into the present moment. The great thing is that you can do this anywhere, anytime—from the comfort of your desk, in a meeting, or on your commute to or from work. Try setting a timer for 60 seconds during the workday to slow down, breathe, and ground yourself.
2. Practice monotasking: When we are constantly multitasking and task-switching, we burn through our energy stores faster and are less productive. Instead of taking on multiple tasks at once, try immersing yourself in one thing at a time. This act of being in the present can help relieve some of the overwhelm we might unknowingly experience from constant distraction and multitasking.
3. Turn off notifications: Constant digital distractions can create a false sense of urgency and pull our attention away from what we’re doing. According to a University of California-Irvine study conducted by Gloria Mark, Ph.D., on average, it can take about 23 minutes to regain focus after an interruption (Pattison, 2008). This means that even a few distractions a day can add up to lost time. Try setting designated times throughout the day to check emails and notifications if this is possible for your role.
4. Check in with yourself: Break your days into meaningful blocks of time that make sense for you (e.g., morning, midday, afternoon, and evening). Set the intention of pausing to check in with yourself after each quarter and reset, regroup, and recalibrate before the next one. Tune in with your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Ask yourself, “How am I feeling right now?” or “What is it that I need right now?” One intentional and mindful moment can change the trajectory of the mood or experience you are having.
5. Build in mindful transitions: Amidst the busyness of our days, we can be quick to shift from one task to another, or one role to another, without allowing ourselves a moment to just be. As often as possible, build in opportunities that allow you to slow down. This could look like a body scan on your elevator ride, a short mindful walk outdoors on your lunch break, or spending a portion of your commute to or from work without the radio on to allow you to connect with your senses. We can also encourage these mindful moments with our teammates by inviting everyone to take a minute to breathe and arrive in the present moment at the beginning of a meeting, or by scheduling meetings to end five minutes before the hour.
6. Listen to understand, not to respond: So often in our conversations with others, we listen to provide a response, not to understand the other person. We tend to be problem-solving or pre-loading what we will say back to them, as they are speaking. The invitation here is to practice being completely present and truly work to understand the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of the other person. You can even take a mindful pause before responding.

Final Thoughts

In a fast-paced world where we often operate on autopilot, intentionally slowing down allows us to cultivate moments of mindfulness.

By incorporating small, mindful practices into our daily work routine, we can show up feeling more present, grounded, and well-resourced to handle whatever comes our way.