Why Mindfulness Works at Work and the Cost of Mindlessness (not being mindful) at Work
Mindfulness is Presence and Pure Awareness
Mindfulness means being fully present in the moment - calm, clear and aware of whatever is happening within or around us without reactivity or judgement. It is our natural awareness, something innate that we are born with but often overlook because we tend to focus on what we are aware of – whatever we are paying attention to - rather than noticing what is paying attention, the awareness that is the primary state of our Being.
This might explain mindfulness’s growing popularity: although we are born with this capacity for calm, clear presence, we don’t often feel calm, clear or present, do we?! Why? Because we are often lost in the endless machinations of our mind. This language is very revealing, “we are often lost in thought” meaning our awareness is lost in thought.
Our busy, modern lives make it easy to lose touch with the present moment and our presence, pulling us into endless, reactive thoughts, and requiring practices to gently shift our attention from mental chatter and emotional turbulence to the quiet awareness of our Being, always here in the background of our experience.
Mindfulness helps us step back from being lost in thoughts and feelings to observe them clearly. If you can see it, you not in it. This act immediately reconnects us to the presence of our Being and improves mental health, well-being, and our ability to respond thoughtfully under pressure, rather than reacting automatically.
Why Mindfulness Works at Work
Mindfulness can be very helpful at work, anchoring us in the present moment and fostering concentration, equanimity, and acceptance, which counters stress, anxiety and overwhelm. It strengthens emotional regulation, our ability to process life experiences and recharge our batteries. Regular practice improves focus, empathy and cognitive performance, enabling better reasoning, learning, mindset, relationships and decision-making.
Being mindful doesn’t mean emptying the mind; it means observing thoughts and emotions consciously and acting with intention. This reduces mindless distractions, autopilot and enhances purposeful thinking, which is crucial for effectiveness at work, especially in tasks requiring concentration and analysis.
The Paradox of Mindfulness
Mindfulness is both our natural state and a skill or mental muscle that requires exercise due to our mind’s habitual overthinking. What a paradox! Although awareness is our essence, we often forget to recognise it because we are caught up in thoughts about life instead of experiencing life directly.
Presence is our birthright. It’s simple to be present but not easy, as our conditioned minds habitually dwell on past regrets, current problems and to-do-lists or future worries. This mental time-travel, combined with a biological negativity bias that focuses on potential threats, contributes to anxiety and stress in modern life and creates a significant obstacle to recognising our fundamental nature. Without the presence of awareness, we would not be experiencing or having a life! Yet, we rarely acknowledge this.
If Not Here Now, Where and When?
Research suggests we spend approximately 47% of our time on "autopilot", physically present but mentally elsewhere. This reduces work efficiency, contributes to unhappiness, and disconnects us from our valuable inner resources—like clarity, empathy, resilience, courage, compassion and creativity. Additionally, lack of presence, or mindlessness, weakens interpersonal relationships, is a major obstacle to empathy, active listening, patience, and calm communication, all essential for strong workplace collaboration and support.
Studies also suggest the average attention span is less than 8 seconds, and the average person has up to 60,000 thoughts per day, all of which helps to explain why it can be so hard to remain fully present in the moment. Perhaps another reason we don’t value or prioritise presence is that our culture lacks role models for presence and its benefits. We instead live within a dominant culture that encourages us to strive for something other than what is already here, now.
The Cost of Being Absent at Work
This brings me to three of the major problems with our lack of presence at work:
1. It increases stress and reduces wellbeing and resilience.
Mind-wandering often leads to negative thinking and unhappiness. Why? Because when our minds wander without intention or choice (as in brainstorming) the brain’s negativity bias tends towards thinking about our problems, our fears, regrets and insecurities etc, which makes us feel bad. Think of lying in bed awake at night. What is it that your mind generally fixates on? Is it the joy of Being, gratitude for every breath or is it a health/financial/relationship/work/(fill in the gap) anxiety, problem or frustration… ??
2. We lose touch with our inner resources.
Mindlessness diminishes access to our powerful inner resources like composure, concentration, creativity, curiosity, courage, acceptance and connectedness. These are innate qualities of our Being, but we can only access and embody them when we are present and aware, here, now, and not lost in thought about something else.
3. A lack of presence reduces our ability to be fully present with others.
It impairs our ability to connect meaningfully with others, undermining teamwork, peace and productivity. Given we are social animals, and everything requires interrelating or working together to some degree, this is a major global problem. Mindfulness practice strengthens empathy, compassion, and connection. It enhances active listening and understanding different perspectives and feelings. It promotes patience, trust and meaningful connection and communication. It reduces emotional reactivity and helps us stay calm under pressure. All of which builds stronger support and working networks, crucial for resilience, success and productivity.
Why Mindfulness Works at Work
How well are you able to achieve your work goals when you are distracted or on autopilot?
Mindfulness supports sustained focus, better decision-making, problem-solving, reduced stress, and helps us cope better with challenges. Regular practice lowers cortisol levels, boosts our immune system, promotes relaxation and prevents burnout. It fosters self-awareness, self-care, and self-regulation—helping us recognise and manage personal triggers and respond more wisely and compassionately to meet our own needs and the needs of others.
Mindfulness nurtures optimism and gratitude, key elements in building a positive mindset and psychological resilience. Mindfulness teaches acceptance of the present moment as it is, rather than how we want it to be. This acceptance can lead to greater psychological flexibility, enabling us to adapt to changing circumstances and learn from adversity.
These benefits improve personal wellbeing and reilience, workplace culture, relationships, and productivity, all contributing to sustainable work-life balance and business success. My training helps employees strengthen these mental muscles and develop mindful skills and attitudes, enhancing your workplace culture, business output, staff satisfaction and boosting your bottom line!
Get in touch for a call to chat about enhancing mindfulness in your workplace.