Mindfulness is the process of focusing on one task at a time and building focus around it. Mindfulness dates back to when Monks of eastern mountains used to practice it, but now it has paved its way in the digitally influenced world. with distractions rising all around us, mindfulness is becoming an important trait of key project resources of today. this article talks about the importance of mindfulness in the perspective of project management and how can it benefit project managers in myriad of ways.
Earlier this month, everyone in my department received an email from the HR department. They had scheduled an hour yoga session for all of us, part of motivating the employees in a rejuvenating way to increase productivity. We are associated with Taskque which is an easy task management software and I work in the client services department. During the session we came to know about mindfulness that leads us to productivity, after which I turn to Google to do my research and to my amazement mindfulness is a great thing for employees of my type, who are associated with projects or who are working in client servicing or are related to a manufacturing concern in anyway, etc.
What is mindfulness?
Just close your eyes and say mindfulness. Feel that depth in the word itself. Voila! You got my point. The word itself has healing properties. Now, according to Google, mindfulness is a mental state of any employee that is achieved by converging your focus on the present moment. It suggests that your mind is fully present and paying full attention to what is happening at this moment. It can relate to certain happenings or to your work and points towards the increment of your overall efficiency.
Now the definition might seem trivial, except for the fact they we do, at many times fail to provide complete attention to the task that is running at the moment. I am myself doing three things at the time of writing this piece and this is definitely dividing my attention on all the tasks I am trying to accomplish.
Let us now dig deep in the details
Mindfulness has much to do with attention and awareness. And the definition remains uniform throughout. The practice of being mindful grooms you into becoming sharp, staying alert and helps you in taking quick and appropriate decisions throughout your work life. Broadly summing up, you will avoid careless mistakes, and enhance your creative output when you start working mindfully.
The concept of mindfulness extend back to what the Monks from the far eastern mountains used to preach. But now it’s making its way into the corporate sectors of the world where professionals are benefiting from it and making their way towards building positive focus.
Apparently, we live in an attention deficit economy. The ability to build focus and be attentive at tasks is as highly esteemed as that of culminating some unique managerial or technical skill within you. Technology has worked as a cherry on top to build distractions around us. Social media, Communication through smartphones and other baits that easily distract us and keeps us away from focusing.
Basically, our minds are fine tuned to distraction, and today’s digital environment serves exactly the right purpose. Talk about working while your phone’s notification light is blinking, ugh!
While multitasking saves the day, however it has its downsides. It tends to reduce our IQ. Doing multiple things also distract and we tend to mix them up easily. Follow these tips to be more focused and productive at work.
Try and do the creative work first
Typically, we tend to complete tasks that we think are less interesting first and move towards what we love doing at the end. This takes up majority of our time and at the end we are left with little to serve to work we do best.
Time allocation is important
Either you are a project manager who is managing resources or you are a resource yourself. Time allocation is important. It is directly linked with your tasks and how long you take to complete each task individually. Studies suggest that a normal worker can focus fully for up to 6 hours in a normal work day. So try and manage your tasks in those six hours of the day only. A tasks management software could really help in tasks management, by allocating tasks one by one to the resources, you are actually curbing the workload on your resource thus keeping them away from the stress that helps in building more focus.
Practice mindfulness at work
Two skills are essential for mindful working: being aware of your responsibilities at all times and staying focused on them. But to help push you in that direction, start stripping away distractions that come your way.
Stop checking your phone every minute!
Start focusing on things around you rather than always online on your social media accounts. There is real world out there, go out, experience that. And lastly, start spending times with your family, and if you happen to be based at a project location, replicate family with your project mates. Human interaction is necessary to unwind and unwinding help in relaxing and thus in building better focus. Apply the above mentioned rules to practice mindfulness at work and you will soon start feeling the benefits it’s bringing to you.
