Mindfulness refers to your ability to focus on the present moment without any expectation. This technique, which is applicable to everything else in your life, is an excellent way to approach things more healthily and in a less stressful manner. By cultivating mindfulness at work, your focus and concentration increases which help you achieve optimum efficiency. It helps reduce stress, increase adaptability, boost problem-solving skills and facilitate creativity.

So how do you practice mindfulness during your workday? Here are some tips to help you get started.

Respond to emails during dedicated periods of time
We’re all guilty of this - attending to emails as soon as we get them in our inbox. While it’s extremely important to respond to work emails in a timely manner, it’s equally important that you attend to them during dedicated periods of time only. This means that checking of emails should be scheduled accordingly.

For example, you can check your email in the morning and give yourself about 30 minutes to go through everything and respond before starting with your tasks. The next time you check your email should be after 2 hours, for instance. This way, you can eliminate distractions and be able to focus on the task at hand.

Start tackling more challenging tasks
Another important habit you need to develop to stay present and on task during your workday is to begin with tackling the tasks that are more challenging or complex. Knock out the most important or more taxing items on your workload. Get them done first then tackle the less difficult ones. This way, you can dedicate more concentration and ensure efficiency on the complex tasks when you still have adequate energy in the morning and take care of the easier ones for the rest of your work day.

Get one task done before proceeding to the next
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with tasks when you’re overloaded and have too many things on your plate. But rather than spreading yourself too thin, it’s a lot better and more productive if you tackle one task at a time. Finish one task before proceeding to the next.

Take breaks
We know how important it is to get things done as early as possible, especially when you’re too swamped or trying to meet deadlines. However, it’s equally important that you take breaks. Take breaks for your mental health and sanity. Even if your breaks are only 10 or 15 minutes long, be sure to take them after being on your desk for 2 or 3 hours. It will help refresh your mind and increase your work productivity.

Practicing mindfulness offers a plethora of benefits to one’s life, even when it comes to work. Develop the habit of practicing mindfulness during your workday and see how it works wonders!