When you want to be more present in your work life: 7 techniques to try
So much is written on being present and “mindful” today. I subscribe to many ezines and blogs on this topic. Mindfulness is all about being conscious or aware of the present moment. I will admit that it never really clicked for me until I started on a weight loss journey. I started a program to help me understand why I eat, when I eat, what influences me to consume food. I never thought I had a relationship with food. I felt that I never made a big deal about eating. I wasn’t a stress eater or a depressed eater. I don’t sit on the couch with a bag of potato chips every night. But, it turns out, I do have habits or scripts that I follow to the letter that may be sabotaging my weight and health.
The biggest little imp in this space for me is eating in front of screens especially now. I have breakfast reading emails from across the globe. I eat lunch at my desk preparing for my next web meeting. I eat dinner reading blogs I didn’t have a chance to read before. This level of distraction doesn’t allow me to enjoy what people have called “mindful eating”.
The trick is to NOT multi-task. Wow...I know. This is very hard. Sit at the kitchen table or outside on your patio furniture and eat and enjoy your food. Take it all in and be present with it. I initially rolled my eyes at this concept. But, seriously....this has been the biggest technique to help me eat less and eat better. And, you know what? The workplace didn’t burn down because I didn’t write emails while inhaling my lunch. Crises didn’t form because I now eat my oatmeal and berries out back in the sun.
This got me thinking about how I manage my team, how I manage my workload, and how I show up to meetings. And, guess what? No one has had my full attention for the last year. Being remote means you can read incoming emails and text messages while you are in a one-on-one meeting with your team member. Cameras off can allow you to do all sorts of things while trying to listen to whoever is talking.
This became very real for me when I missed a key detail in a project because I wasn’t really paying attention. I was half hearing what the person was telling me while I tried to read and process an urgent email from a senior leader. Yikes. We have all done this. This distraction actually set me back in that I had misinformation and had to spend time finding the right information.
Being present and thinking about applying mindfulness to work has become even more important in these times and I am a convert! I want to tell everyone that if you’re looking for happiness, try being mindful. If you’re looking for focus, try being mindful. If you’re looking to be productive, try being mindful. This is the most difficult because we are wired differently. Here are 7 techniques to try to focus more on present:
Focus in conversations.
As I mentioned above, it is too easy to be reading or even thinking about other things while in a meeting with one or more people. Since we are not face to face across a table physically, it is even easier to juggle multiple tasks or mind bubbles (thoughts can come and go automatically) while we are supposed to be meeting. What can help is to make sure your meetings don’t go a full hour but take 30 or 45 minutes to be concise and keep the agenda moving. Shorter time frames can help keep your attention but focusing on really listening takes effort. If you can’t practice tough love with your email, close it while you are in a meeting. I have done that plenty of times. If that IM keeps hitting you over and over while in a meeting, log out. Of course, there are emergencies but you won’t be able to be productive, inspire trust and build relationships if you are constantly distracted.
Single task.
We are wired to be productive by juggling many things at once. We have been told we can be anything we want, which includes playing many roles at once. We have been told the most successful people get up at 5 am and get more done before noon than most. Ok. That might be true but to really see success, like my struggle with weight, don’t juggle. Do the opposite — focus on the task at hand. Giving 25% of your attention to 4 things at once will not yield success. It will yield half-results, partial completions and possibly missed opportunities. I have talked about list-making and how that helps me plan and choose what to do next. Multi-tasking has turned us into bad jugglers who will eventually drop one or two balls and burn out. Do one task at a time. I bet you find it takes less time overall and yields greater results.
Catch yourself meandering.
Being present also means being extremely self-aware. While this may be difficult, try and catch yourself when your mind wanders. I once attended a meditation retreat led by a Thai Monk, who was amazingly centered and patient. He said when you try and meditate and ideas still come in your head, think of them like little birds swooping down for a visit and let them go. I carry this image with me now. When I start to meander or move to multi-tasking, I need to be aware enough to stop myself and let those little birds fly on by.
Be intentional with technology.
We are hearing a lot about Zoom fatigue as the latest affliction to plague knowledge workers. Studies have shown the reason for the fatigue is we are much closer to the other person’s face because of how close our cameras are. I actually have my camera further from me so it shows much of my office not just my face up close and personal. Technology is here to help but we need to be mindful of when and how to use it. IM or Chat can be one of the most distracting tools we have. Think consciously about when to send an email vs a chat vs a phone call. Chat should be reserved for more urgent issues. If you have a question that can wait, send an email or even leave a voicemail. Being mindful with our chat or IM tools can cut down on distractions and keep us focused.
Noodle on ideas.
Because we are fast-paced and many people say they are busier than they ever have been, we want to make fast decisions, execute quickly and move onto the next item on the list. However, being mindful means to focus on the present. It is okay to take time to think about ideas or plans. We need to alleviate the pressure on ourselves to move so quickly. Now, some things need to be resolved quickly but most tasks or projects can take a little time. We often impose our own deadlines on ourselves. This is useful to stay motivated and have a goal to shoot for but it can put on pressure and take us out of the present. Take time to daydream or stare out a window to mull something over. I like to doodle in a notebook or write down thoughts in a visual way in my notebook. Some people just need time and space too think. Walking can help trigger ideas. Some people say gardening or reading or doing something other than work can inspire us to come to good conclusions. Take this time in the present to do this if you need it.
Practice patience.
It is easy to get stressed, think about what might happen, what did happen, or how something will be received. We can be overly eager about speaking up, contributing ideas, solving the problem to demonstrate how valuable we are or to get noticed. Having patience with others and ourselves will create space to allow others to speak their mind. Even though I may have an answer, I try to let others share and contribute first. I find for some managers this is almost impossible. I have had managers who always dominated conversations and would ask and answer their own questions. Slow down. Be patient. Allow others to noodle and come back.
Inspire well-being and presence in others.
These can be tough techniques to become natural immediately. Have grace with yourself and practice. Practicing and modeling this for others as a leader will help to inspire similar actions. If you model multi-tasking, quick actions and impatience, then others will follow suit. If you listen and give a chance to others to speak, allow some time to noodle on ideas and not abuse Chat technology, others will follow.
I keep hearing of meeting-free Fridays as a concept to help people ward off meeting burn out. I read that LinkedIn just gave a well-being week for their employees. In these times, I think we should embrace these ideas. I also think we should inspire well-being, patience, presence every day.
A week off is wonderful and necessary. I often encourage people to take all of their vacation in a year. Remember....the company will not burn down if you take a vacation! In addition to vacation and meeting-free days, we need to bring in these principles of patience, presence and space every day to truly prevent burn out and inspire productivity, and dare I even say, a little happiness or, at least, contentment.