Categories: on practice

Mindfulness: twenty ways to bring it to work

Published by

Saddhamala

September 9, 2011

Bringing mindfulness to work allows us to:

be more focused
feel less stressed
communicate more effectively
bring compassion to the workplace and
feel confident at work.

When considering how we approach work, we can ask ourselves:

How do I relate to myself?
Am I aware of my thoughts, feelings and actions or do I run on automatic pilot?
How do I relate to my colleagues, coworkers and boss?
Am I kind, friendly and compassionate or do I need to have my own way?
How do I relate to my work? Do I bring curiosity and creativity to my work or is it just a means to a paycheck?

Here are twenty ways to bring mindfulness with you to work:

1. Set an intention for the day . Ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish today? How will I accomplish it?”
2. Communicate honestly and from the heart.
3. Be friendly. Not everyone at work is your friend, but we can be friendly to everyone.
4. Bring curiosity to each new day rather than seeing each day as a replica of the past. Look at things in a new way and listen to what your colleagues suggest.
5. Do not believe everything you think!
6. Know yourself. Be aware when you get distracted and bring your mind back to the task at hand, back to the present moment.
7. Understand the positive effects of teamwork and skillful action.
8. Bring presence, intention and wholeheartedness to your thoughts, actions and speech.
9. Remember to breathe.
10. Be receptive to new ways of doing things.
11. Listen actively. Focus on what the person is saying, not how you are going to answer.
12. Enjoy your work, find the pleasure in it. You may not enjoy everything you do at work, but take pleasure in the aspects you appreciate.
13. Let go of attachment to outcomes.
14. Allow creativity to surface by relaxing and being open to possibilities.
15. Ideally whatever we do for work is an integral part of our lives where we incorporate our values, thoughts, words and actions (i.e.greening practices, nonviolence ahimsa).
16. Become a mentor.
17. Be aware of triggers and remember triggers comes from within, not from anyone else.
18. Watch your reactions to triggers and use these instances as opportunities to change, to “let it go”.
19. Remember, we create our worlds and we have the choice to react or respond to a situation. Reacting is an automatic reflex — responding is a thoughtful, reflective response that considers creative alternatives and considering options and consequences.
20. Make a copy of this list and keep it by your desk, and remember to read it often.

Saddhamala

Saddhamala (Nancy Nicolazzo) was a veteran of teaching, consulting and coaching, and the founder of MindfulWorkshops. Assisting individuals and corporate professionals to find ways to improve their personal and professional lives with skillfulness, compassion and awareness was her joy and the focus of her online Mindfulness Coaching. Saddhamala was for many years a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order and active at Aryaloka Buddhist Center in Newmarket, New Hampshire. She passed away in 2020, at the age of 70, from complications of cancer. She had two sons, Zach and Adam.

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View Comments

Mark Taylor says:

September 10, 2011 at 9:19 am

I've been encouraging many of these behaviors with my project teams over the years and they really do work. Relationships are stronger and work is therefore a more enriching experience.
- Saddhamala says:
  
  September 10, 2011 at 9:35 am
  
  Thanks for writing Mark - your project teams are fortunate to be working with someone who understands mindfulness and the importance of relationships in the workplace!
Robin says:

September 16, 2011 at 1:15 pm

Saddhamala, I love this post! I need to take #20 and add -- "Blow this up in 20 point font and put it over your desk". I love these mindfulness tips. One question: Is eating at your desk a huge no-no? I'm oftentimes tied to the phone lines at work, and thus, I "have" to be at my desk. Any tips or recommendations?
- Saddhamala says:
  
  September 16, 2011 at 4:49 pm
  
  Robin, I'm delighted the post is helpful. I recommend not eating in two places: 1. at your desk, 2. in your car. If someone really has to be there for the phone, ask someone
  to be at your desk for about 15 minutes so you can take a little break for lunch (ideally it would be a half-hour to an hour ;). Or use voice mail. Taking a break at work is so important. In fact it's a good idea to take several breaks from using your computer during the work day. Taking breaks lessens stress and helps us feel renewed.
Tanja says:

September 30, 2011 at 7:51 pm

This is a wonderfully timely post for me, as I'm just becoming conscious of how scattered and fragmented I am when I'm at my desk at work.

One of the things I've been working on over the past week or two is to focus on one thing at a time, and shut down all other windows on my computer. It's a little thing, but it really does make a huge difference!
- Saddhamala says:
  
  September 30, 2011 at 11:15 pm
  
  Dear Tanja,
  I am always happy when posts are timely and raise consciousness. I love your idea to focus on one thing at a time with one window at a time!
  All the best to you,
  Saddhamala
Saddhamala says:

September 16, 2011 at 4:51 pm

I've heard it said "It's not difficult to be mindful, it's difficult to remember to be mindful." So reminders sure are important ;) Thanks for writing.