Work

Whether You Choose Mindful or Mindless, It’s Your Call

January 17, 2017 by Wilma Jones

When you’re facing a situation at the job, something that challenges you, most of the time we think of all the bad things that could happen. I know that was how I used to think. Yes, 100 percent of the time I imagined that the outcome would not be good for me. Now, that I know better, I only think about a bad outcome about 20 percent of the time. I am able to stop myself from going down the rabbit hole of “what if?” that can consume your thoughts.

I was dealing with this recently when I did a really good job on a project. Like better than anyone in the organization had done on a similar project. So needless to say, it got some attention and people wanted to know how I did it. I was feeling rather good and generous. I explained my strategies and shared my tools.

Then I was asked if others could join into the next project. What? Why? I was taken aback and then I remembered to stop and breathe and think for a sec. Of course, others are welcome. But the strategy and tools will remain mine. The results will be mine. I will share and mentor because I know what I am doing works. But I am not going to let thoughts of imagined outcomes impact where I am going in 2017.

Sometimes it’s hard for people, especially women and yes, even more so for women of color to be the best in an organization. I thought of the hit movie, Hidden Figures, which tells the stories of three brilliant black women who were critical performers in the NASA race with Russia to orbit a man around earth. Still today we have to keep performing by excelling at the job to prove that we can do things as well, or in some cases better than any man.

Using mindfulness to manage the thoughts I have when facing challenges on the job helps to keep my outlook positive. I don’t get caught up in mindless thoughts of bad outcomes or looking at what occured in the past. I focus on the here and now. I visualize my success in every situation. And I frame my thoughts to expected the success I imagine, or something even better. And since I shifted my perspective to an outlook of positivity, even the things I thought were bad, have turned out for my good.

Mindfulness or mindlessness, I am finding that how you approach challenges helps to determines what you get.

This Memorial Day Make Sure You’re Unplugged

May 30, 2016 by Wilma Jones

This Memorial Day Make Sure You’re Unplugged

Today is the Memorial Day holiday in the U.S. It is the day we recognize and remember men and women who died in service to our country. It’s also a day off work. In almost every industry except for retail and a few others, office workers get Memorial Day day as a company -paid holiday.

Memorial Day is one of the big holidays. Even stingy companies give employees the day off on Memorial Day. You know those companies where you only get 6 company observed holidays per year? New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yup, that’s it. President’s Day? Veteran’s Day? Martin Luther King, Jr. Day? Naw, those are work days at many companies.

Memorial Day is the unofficial start to the summer season for Americans, so it’s a holiday we hold close to our hearts. Barbecues, cookouts and trips to the beach are annual rites of passage to summer and this is the weekend those traditions begin. This is the weekend we should all unplug and step away from work. For these three days, don’t check your email. Each time a thought about something work-related enters your mind, brush it away and think about something else. Be mindful about it.

It’s critically important to take time away from your job to completely disconnect. There has been a lot of buzz this week about a new law proposed in France that would prohibit companies with 50 or more employees from emailing/communicating with employees after work hours, including weekends and holidays. It’s all about allowing staff to know that no digital communications would come from their boss at night so they can feel comfortable disengaging from their work responsibilities after hours.

I think this is an awesome idea, because many times we check mail at night to make sure nothing urgent is happening that will catch us off guard in the morning. No one wants to find out something critical happened and there is a string of email communication with everyone but you contributing to the conversation. I’ve felt that before and so I when I was working in corporate environments, I would routinely check mail a few times in the evening.

It would be a nice feeling to have work completely stop in the evening every day. To know that nothing would require your attention over the holiday weekend. For many office workers with corporate-issued cell phones that ping when emails are received or with instant messaging apps, that doesn’t happen. A law like the one being considered in France could go a long way toward encouraging that behavior.

Do you think we need a law to prohibit our bosses from contacting us during non-work hours?

5 Ways to Practice Mindfulness @ Work

May 9, 2016 by Wilma Jones

5 Ways to Practice Mindfulness @ Work

Almost everything you have to do at work can be improved by using mindfulness. When you start applying mindfulness to your workday, you learn to control your thoughts. Studies have shown you can improve your focus and control your emotions better when you’re more mindful.

I learned to be mindful by taking yoga classes. It was hard for me at first. I had never been interested in stopping to focus on my breathing. But I after I started thinking of my yoga as a ‘practice,’ and learning to really concentrate on being in the present moment, I saw all these great benefits begin in my life.

You can’t just break out in a Downward-Facing-Dog at the office when something happens that stresses you. I wanted to figure out the best ways to implement mindfulness at work into my day.

1. The first step starts before work. Take at least a 10 minute walk. If it is raining try to jump rope on the covered porch. If both those options are out, walk in place with high knees to get my body moving. Thirty minutes would be the best option, but I’ll take what I can get.

2. As your computer powers up, stop and breathe. Focus on breathing in and out and quieting your mind. Be in the moment.

3. Take a short walk mind-morning. Just step away from the desk and give your brain a mental break. Maybe you ride the elevator to the lobby and go outside to walk around the building. That burst of fresh air will help you think more creatively and have better focus when you return to your job.

4. Eat a good lunch. If you go out, try to walk and get more body movement during the day. If you eat at the office, try not to do it at your desk. But if you have to, reserve 5 minutes of quiet time or time for a little movement before you return to your tasks.

5. When the 3 PM slump hits walk right by the coffee pot to get water. Hydrate your body and your brain works better and faster. As you drink, quiet your mind. If you can, add a quick walk around the floor to your afternoon water break.

There are lots of other ways to incorporate mindfulness in your work day. I’d love to hear what works for you.

Break Those Bad Habits With Mindfulness

March 2, 2016 by Iman

Break Those Bad Habits With Mindfulness

Source: Use Mindfulness to Create Better Habits (Guided Meditation Included)

A habit is something you do continuously, that in some cases almost becomes involuntary. Habits are things that many of us train our brains to make us better, wake up early, work out and eat well. But in some instances the things that we commit to memory and become habits turn out to be negative, and they control us from the subconscious in a conscious way. Can you just not seem to kick your foul mouth in the office, or do always have something negative to say about a colleague? One way to deal with these unwanted habits is by taking better control of your mind with mindfulness.

Mindfulness comes into play because it helps you filter your thoughts. You become more intentional with the things that you commit to memory, which then turn into your habits. Mindfulness puts you in control and provides you with the tools to act like you want to. A great way to get started with your practice is just to sit alone in a quiet place for 5-10 minutes, close your eyes and pay attention to your breath. You may have thoughts running through your head, but don’t mind them, let them come and go and just relax. Think of each thought as in a ‘thought bubble’ and let it drift from your mind. The more you practice, the more you can be aware of where your focus is going You then have a choice to pay attention to the positive or negative.

So don’t waste anytime, Start breaking those bad habits today. Use the guided meditation below to get started.

This article covers the mindfulness pillar of the Living Happier @Work program.

Whether You Choose Mindful or Mindless, It’s Your Call

This Memorial Day Make Sure You’re Unplugged

This Memorial Day Make Sure You’re Unplugged

5 Ways to Practice Mindfulness @ Work

5 Ways to Practice Mindfulness @ Work

Break Those Bad Habits With Mindfulness

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