Mindfulness: The Key to Maximizing Your Efficiency

Mindfulness: The Key to Maximizing Your Efficiency

Time management and organization are great skills to help you get work done. But that is only one step to get through your to-do-list efficiently. What if you structure your time neatly, but fail to address the right tasks? Or worse, focus on tasks that do not account for the real goals that you would like to achieve?In other words, while the mind needs to know there is a plan to get a task done, it also needs a compass to know which direction to head in (pun intended).

In recent years mindfulness has caught on as a way to bring focus, authenticity, and intention to each task carried out in daily office life. Mindfulness is defined as a meditative practice and is all about deliberately directing attention to the present moment. Using mindfulness alongside time management and organization can be extremely helpful in avoiding excessive attention to irrelevant tasks. Hence, becoming more mindful during your work day, can help you work more efficiently and become more productive.

Mindfulness sounds like a daunting task next to all the other things you want to get done at work (we see that pile of papers on your desk). But here is a palatable 3-step plan for you to start:

Step 1: Eliminate mindless tasks

Love scrolling through social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.)? Yeah, so do we! Or you take one hour to decide what to have for lunch, when it should take you 5 minutes? With such tasks, how much value are you really getting out of it vs. the time you spend on it?

Social media and lunch decisions are common examples of mindless tasks. There are many other things we do during the workday that have no real impact on our career goals. Once you locate those irrelevant nuances, make an effort to minimize time on them. For example, make it a rule to spend no more than 5 minutes per 2 hours on social media. And regarding that lunch decision… make your life easier by choosing a lunch program like Smunch!

Step 2: Structure your workday

After eliminating irrelevant tasks, you can focus on what’s really important. To structure your day, ask yourself, what do I want to achieve today? What are my priorities? What tasks will help me get closer to the goals I set for myself? How can I be a hero? Okay… maybe that’s aiming a bit high...

Find your purpose, and then choose 3 main tasks to work on each day. This way, you allow yourself to give your work the attention and time it really needs, without the impeding mindless distractions.

Step 3: Get your team on board

There is no I in team, and whatever you do to improve your own work will eventually impact the output of your team. So don’t underestimate the power of your influence, and get your colleagues to take part in your mindful and efficient work plan. You can keep each other on track, and exchange tips on how to continue working productively while you keep your company’s core values in mind.

At Smunch, we love organising weekly team lunches as part of a mindful approach to work. We use this time to eat our lunch mindfully and keep in touch with each other’s progress. We have noticed a positive difference in our relationships, our commitment to work and the overall mood to get things done.Let us know how you feel when you get your mindless tasks out of the way, and get in more efficient and productive hours.

Happy eating (and working!)

The Smunch Team