DISCOVER THE ZEN SECRET TO EMPOWERING YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

The Lost Years

Sometimes, it feels like I've lived a life based on inspirational quotes. All those juicy metaphysical pearls of Zen wisdom strewn and strafed across the internet's fertile landscape.

At the very least, I possess a cursory awareness of Taoist and Buddhist philosophies. Most of which was acquired rather inauspiciously during a rather chaotic and obscured period in my life.

The Lost Years of the seventies were spent wastefully hanging around the wrong people on the wrong streets doing the wrong things.

I was on a slippery slope back in my late teens. The details of which are neither here nor there.

Suffice it to say I was adrift in a very unforgiving place where the people I knew one day no longer existed the next.

That's when and where I discovered that rock bottom had a basement.

The Shift

But I digress, for as life would have it, those same streets gave birth to my adherence to philosophy. Desperation can be one hell of a motivator. when it comes to either conquering yourself or being conquered by yourself.

Not the Plato or Socrates style philosophy, mind you, the forebearers of Western thought. No, I am alluding to the arcane ancient esoteric writings of The Vedas, Sutras, and Tao te Ching, which, unlike the Judeo-Christian message my peers grew up with, resonated on a much deeper level.

Only later would I discover that the wrong people were, in fact, the right people. Every person you encounter can be your guru if you are open to allowing such. And these misjudged, misunderstood educators serendipitously taught me some precious life lessons.

Amen for Zen

Jump ahead for several decades, and I am still wading knee-deep in the muddied waters of life's mysteries. Some are abiding and self-evident while others still, unraveling layer upon layer so gradually as to be almost imperceptible. Waiting, as it were, for the student's mind to be open and able to receive.

Empirical truths are not always observational in nature despite being omnipresent, enduring, and eternal.

One such self-revelation seeped up through my cranial crevices sometime back during a regular morning tai chi practice. It truly was a eureka moment. A mental shift that can skyrocket anyone's productivity, as it indeed has mine.

Mastering of Mind

Let me know if this sounds at all familiar. You began your day off envigored and renewed, determined to get that laundry list of tasks completed.

So, you jump right in and grab task A by the horns with the best of intentions. That is, of course, until your mind decides to act as your personal saboteur.

Either visually or mentally, you quickly become distracted by Task B, which draws you away from Task A. You decide it best to simply get Task B out of the way, fully intending to return to Task A immediately thereafter. But soon enough, the pattern repeats, and you find yourself abandoning Task A once more to deal with Task C.

When you finally return to task A, you are so mentally and physically exhausted that you either complete it haphazardly or not. This sporadic piecemeal approach results in you never giving a single task the full attention it deserves. And though busy all day, you retire for the evening demoralized, feeling you've accomplished very little or, worse yet, nothing at all.

Though simplistic, the solution is, at best, difficult to master. Sure, we all would prefer the resolution to be easy, but if such were the case, you would have solved this dilemma by now.

So, what is the magical, mysterious remedy to continue chasing after your own tail?

Mental Focus.

After that big buildup, I know it may seem anticlimactic, but hear me out. An old Chinese proverb states, "Where your mind goes, your energy flows." In other words, where your thoughts go, your mental energy follows.

In other words, where your thoughts go, your mental energy follows.

The key to improved productivity lies in directing your thoughts rather than your thoughts directing you. In words, 'Being Master of Mind not Mastered by Mind."

Living in The Now

We have all heard the phrase "living in the now." It's been bandied about so often that it's become cliche.

It's a straightforward enough concept that most people comprehend, at least on an intellectual level. Unequivocal at its fundamental level. Now, this very moment is the only time you truly have. The past is the past, and the future is merely potential. The present moment is the only point in time that you can exert control and influence over.

Sure, this "Living in the Now" thing is a beautiful platitude, but how do you go about achieving it? How do you find that Zen moment where you are totally in the zone?

Well, it's not easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is. But the rewards for the work you put in are immeasurable.

A Practical Practice

Let's be honest. You are going to be continuously distracted every single minute of every single day. Just accept that it's a consequence of living life in the 21st Century.

And while you may not be able to eliminate the din, you can overcome it.

The key to maintaining focus is acknowledging the many distractions in your mind but not giving them any undue attention.

The simplest way to maintain focus is to acknowledge the many distractions in your mind but not give them any undue attention.

Making a note of distractions may sound counterintuitive initially, but as respected Soto Zen Buddhist monk Shunryu Suzuki states, "Allow your thoughts to come and go. Just don't serve them tea."

One way to move from being aware of a distraction to let it go is using visual imagery. One example of this is using the image of leaves falling off a tree during autumn.

When a distraction arises, imagine a gentle breeze blowing through the leaves, releasing them from the tree while simultaneously letting go of the distraction.

Breathe

After you've acknowledged any mental distraction and allowed it to "blow away," the easiest and most practical way to return to the "Now" is by utilizing your body and senses.

The simplest and most effective of which is breathing.

Take a deep breath through your nose. Go ahead. Notice how your chest rises as you do so. Now, release that same breath slowly and gently through your nose.

Feel the air as it exits your lungs and flows through your throat. Notice how your chest rises and falls with each breath. Listen to the sound your body emits with each breath.

Giving your attention to how your body reacts while breathing deeply forces your mind to redirect its focus back to your body, which exists in the Now.

Having established rhythmic breathing, next, focus on any smells you detect in the air. Perhaps the coffee you brewed this morning or flowers in a vase nearby.

Now, look around and take note of your surroundings: the shapes, the colors, the textures, and the dimensions. Take in the scene as if it were your first time in the current location where you find yourself.

By now, you should be garnering a clearer understanding of how your five senses can effectively draw your focus back to the current moment.

When Eating, Eat. When Walking, Walk

The simple practice outline above is a form of "Mindfulness Meditation," which can help to calm the mind and bring your attention back to the present moment, reducing your stress levels while increasing your sense of well-being.

As for the "eureka moment" I alluded to previously, that came about quite serendipitously one evening when reading the following quote," "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

The quote points to the idea that in nature, everything happens at its own pace and in its own time.

The natural world doesn't rush or hurry to accomplish things; instead, it operates in an effortless flow. Despite this apparent lack of haste, everything in nature gets done eventually. The seasons change, plants grow, animals migrate, and so on.

The quote is often interpreted as a reminder to let go of our sense of urgency and trust that things will happen in their own time. It encourages us to take a more relaxed and patient approach to life and to let go of the need to control or rush things.

Everything that needs to be accomplished will be accomplished.

Not through some haphazard, diffused, ineffectual approach but rather by remaining utterly and entirely focused on the present moment, The Now.

By consistently bringing your attention back to the present moment, you can improve your ability to stay focused on the task at hand. Building this habit takes effort and commitment, but with practice and self-discipline, you will soon find yourself achieving a lot more while experiencing much less stress and distraction.