Meditation to Increase Productivity
Do you often find yourself overwhelmed with work and struggling to stay focused? You’re not alone. In fact, in 2021 an article by The Guardian found that, after Covid, homeworkers were working on average two more hours a day and dealing with a larger workload.
Once considered a mythical practice, meditation to increase productivity amongst industry leaders is now commonplace. Let’s find out if meditation can help to improve your productivity at work.
Meditation can help you become more productive at work by reducing procrastination, improving focus, and transforming your brain to accomplish all this easier. And all this by spending at least 5 minutes a day focusing on the present moment.
The Paradox of Productivity: Slowing Down to Speed Up
It may sound counterintuitive, but taking time out of your workday for meditation can actually make you more productive.
We’ve all heard that taking regular breaks can improve productivity, but what you do during those breaks can be transformative. In a highly competitive market, it’s important to find innovative ways to gain an edge.
But working harder and longer isn’t always the answer. It can lead to stress and burnout, which are detrimental to productivity. That’s where meditation comes in.
Improve Productivity With Meditation
Regularly practicing meditation will increase productivity. It doesn’t have to be long sessions either; five to ten minutes a day is enough to notice the benefits.
Related: Meditation at Work
What Is Mindfulness Meditation and How Can It Be Used to Be More Productive?
The foundation of meditation is being aware and focusing on the present moment. It helps to develop a clear mind and can lead to a calm life, and a greater appreciation of experiences.
Left alone, our minds will tend to spend most of their energy and focus ruminating about the past or worrying about the future.
Both are important mechanisms of the mind to assess past events and navigate future challenges. But when this out-of-present thinking dominates our minds, we spend less of our focus on the task at hand.
The simplest exercise in mindfulness meditation is to focus on the breath.
Try this: 5-Minute Mindfulness meditation
- Set a timer for between 5 – 10 minutes
- Close your eyes and just focus on your breath
- With your full awareness focus on each inhale and exhale
- Notice how many times your mind will wander, don’t get frustrated – it’s part of the practice
- Come back to your breath whenever you notice your mind has wandered.
How did you find that? Let me know in the comments.
Procrastinate Less
One of the benefits of meditation is that it reduces mental wandering and procrastination. The less your mind wanders, the better you become at focusing on your work and being less distracted and more productive.
Because meditation can improve concentration, improve mental discipline, and help with making better decisions, it also reduces how many mistakes we make.
It’s important to meditate regularly as the mind will slide back into the old behaviors. The less we procrastinate, the more we find time in our day, we make better decisions, and we feel less stressed.
Improved Focus
Meditation is one of the most efficient and effective ways to improve concentration.
By meditating you learn to resist being hijacked by your thoughts by focusing on one object or sensation, such as your breath.
Once you become more proficient in the practice, you’ll begin to notice a significant improvement in your ability to focus on one thing.
This has been validated by the scientific community where meditation can help to strengthen our prefrontal cortex and improve the ability to concentrate. Therefore, neurologically, you can stay focused for longer without distraction.
Better Decision-Making
Meditation improves our awareness of how we are feeling at any given moment.
This helps us to make more intelligent decisions that are not based on ungrounded fears and confusing emotions. With better awareness, we are less likely to go on autopilot, so we can act and make decisions more efficiently.
Enhanced Self-Discipline
Through the practice of regular meditation, you will cultivate stronger self-discipline in all areas of your life. Better self-discipline improves productivity and focus and also leads to other positive behaviors such as a better diet and more exercise.
The Science Behind Meditation and Productivity
Meditation isn’t just a feel-good practice; it’s backed by science. Research has shown that meditation can strengthen the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for executive functions like planning and self-regulation. This can lead to improved cognitive function and the ability to stay focused for longer periods.
How to Start to Meditate
Meditation is often thought of as a mystical practice, but the reality is far simpler.
The aim is simply to have an awareness of the present moment. Most practices involve focusing on your breaths as this is something you can always focus on where ever you are.
Once you start focusing on your breaths, you notice thoughts and emotions rise and try to take over your attention. This is the natural behavior of the mind, to run free from idea to idea. The goal is to notice when this happens and come back to the present moment using your breath.
Try this: Work break meditation
If you’d like to start improving your productivity at work, why not try a 10-minute work break meditation?
The Takeaway
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and forget to take care of our minds. But by incorporating meditation into our daily routine, we can train our brains to focus better, make smarter decisions, and ultimately, become more productive. So why not give it a try? Start your meditation journey today and experience the benefits for yourself.
Will you start meditation to help become more productive? Let me know in the comments.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be construed as professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing symptoms of any mental health condition, we strongly advise consulting with a qualified healthcare professional.
