In their 2010 research published in Science, Harvard psychologists Killingsworth and Gilbert found that people spend almost 47% of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they’re doing!
To address this, in HBR Digital in 2016, Hougaard and Carter report a practice that thousands of managers use to maintain focus and concentration: turn to mindfulness at key junctures in your day.
On waking, when researchers tell us that stress hormones are already mounting and cortisol is in your blood, you are told to spend two minutes in bed simply noticing your breath.
When you reach the office, the researchers propose 10 minutes in the car or at your desk: close your eyes, relax, sit upright, focus on your breath, let go of other thoughts. Then begin your day.
They ask you to focus on what is before you. Resist the dopamine release that comes from ticking off the emails as soon as they pop up during the day.
Take two minutes to practice mindfulness on the way to a meeting, or just before it begins. End the meeting five minutes before the hour so everyone has time to transition to the next.
During the day, programme in 1 or 2 minute moments of quiet to let go of the stresses. And make it longer on the commute back at home.
Working within Google Inc, Chade-Meng Tan developed mindfulness training to help their busy people improve their effectiveness…and their health. The Search Inside Yourself program is attributed with manager promotions, calmer meetings and real performance uplifts. He reports that even with a 6 seconds re-boot, you can make a difference to the way you connect with your colleagues and deal with the task in hand.
6 seconds has got to be worth a try!