What are effective mindfulness-based strategies to improve focus and attention in IT?

We all have different motivation and triggers. For me, even as a digital person, I can conduct full day online workshop at home, but when it comes to work, sometimes heading to the office helps me get things done. Or even to a local library / co-working space that is quiet. I usually write a new to do list every day. I may end the day with a to do list for tomorrow as well. Online courses are self motivation really. So if you can have an accountability partner, that would be great. I now prefer to take a live zoom class or classroom if it is an available option. ??

Creating a mindful workstation that is soothing, clutter-free, allows an expansion of space from within that can support when doing strategic planning, goal setting or progress tracking. Mindfully having gadgets put aside can minimise distractions, social media and chats being paused on laptops to mobiles and I watches, allows more focus and being fully present without breaking any interesting thoughts and ideas that can come through during this period.

On top of breathing, giving yourself time to pause, calm down especially when communicating across messaging platforms, and in the case of project management. Breathe, pause, check in with own reaction before replying immediately can minimise any conflict or miscommunication especially if you feel emotionally worked up. Mindfully allow yourself to take time to respond to messages and work emails. Mindfully check in with your body on how you feel during stressful moments.

For professionals in IT, mindful breathing offers a potent tool to enhance focus. This technique involves observing your breath without altering it. When feeling stressed, take five minutes to practice. Use apps or podcasts for guidance. Over time, your concentration will improve.

If we are spending psychological time outside the present moment, we have lost our focus. Feeling uneasy, anxious, tense, stressed or worried puts us in a place of too much focus on the future. Dwelling too much on the past may make us experience guilt, regret, or unable to forgive the errors we perceive in other people. Noticing these feelings is key, pausing to engage your senses helps bring you back to the present moment. Take a 10-second break. Focus on gentle breathing. What do your senses notice in your immediate environment? When we are fully connected to the world we are able to notice and broaden our positive emotions and calm those that challenge.

When we multi task, we can also create a lot of dispersion in the mind, feeling that we have a lot of things to handle, to do or to remember. Sometimes, it is necessary to take a step back and focus on on one task at a time. One can mindfully write down all the tasks required, and not feel overwhelmed. Then fully focus on completing one before going to the next one. Then the mind is free from thinking I have to concurrently multitask in order to complete many things. As with work, it is 'never ending'. There will always be new and more coming at you!

As I speak and coach on #psychology of #dreams, many artists, authors, inventors and successful leaders have gotten a lot of inspiration, ideas through symbols, and and different emotions experienced in dream state, have enabled them to give birth to their successful creations. Google it! Likewise in meditation, when we quiet our minds, we can allow us to observe what new thoughts, ideas, symbols, show up that one cannot imagine, and that openness can lead to creation of something to be given birth to!

Finding a good coach/teacher can have a profound effect on your experience of work. An effective teacher will facilitate discovery rather than merely instruct. If you are working with a coach or mentor that you don’t connect with, it is ok to look for a different mindfulness coach. You will know when you have the right connection, you will just know.

This article is an example of AI gone wild. Mindfulness should not be just a gift for IT, it is as secular as it gets and I'm sure anyone can use improved focus and attention. There are no IT specific tactics. And this is not a performance appraisal, you don't Set SMART goals for mindfulness, you can't target stress reduction, it compounds in ways that cannot be measured Please consider talking to an expert in this field to bring mindfulness to your organizations and teams. cheers - raja

As with the stress we experience at work, many brings it to bed, as such suffer from insomnia. One mindful practice is to give yourself extra time such as an hour before bed time to fully wind down, without mobile phones and gadgets. Doing light journaling to self reflection on what you have learnt for the day and allowing yourself to be at ease and peace before bed time can give you better sleep, and a more productive day after.

While I am aware this article is addressed to individuals and mindfulness-based strategies they can do personally, I feel it's important to highlight that all successful work (not just in IT), is, ultimately, about collaboration and cocreation. In other words, to be more "productive and creative", we need to develop as whole social human beings. Mindfulness is regularly critiqued for placing too much emphasis on individual(istic) behaviour. An article like this one further amplifies this fallacy. Mindfulness-based interpersonal methods and skills such as "deep listening" and "empathy" need to be included in the article, in my opinion.

Practice Body Scan technique While learning mindfulness in early stages of my career in training and development, I found this technique extremely powerful to make you feel connected with your body and simply be aware of all the body sensations such as pain and tingling. Just having an awareness of how the body feels without judging and evaluating, can not only make you be more present but also give you a sense of clarity, peace and calmness.

Working in an office, at a computer can be stressful. With many different things to juggle, emails, phones, computers etc. Start your morning by focusing on your space, take time to be in the moment. Have a plan on what’s important and place into priorities. Make sure you take a break(even if your still sitting at your desk) notice your breathing, have a drink, notice things around you and take a moment to focus on one thing. Look at how your body reacts to that one item. When you have come back into the moment re-start your list. One or two mins break throughout your day will make your day easier, and more manageable.