Interview: 5 things you need to know about awareness and work

According to the renowned meditation expert, Sharon Salzberg, meditation, at first glance, seems like a kind of “superstition”, but it can help you improve your productivity at work. Awareness and meditation will make you more productive, increasing concentration and helping to control impulses, and will not take much time . It works when you practice more than 5 minutes a day and weave this practice into your daily routine.

This dialogue took place with Sharon Salzberg, the author of eight best-selling New York Times and, even more remarkable, meditation coach, who is credited with spreading Buddhism in the West in the 60s and 70s. I think you will like it.
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Sharon was late. Movement around stood, and she sat in the back of a taxi, worrying that the driver would not have time to reorganize. Then he turned to her and said a phrase that she still remembers: "Madame, the number of cars on the road is not your fault and not mine."

The taxi driver retained a rare identity and, even more unusual, he transferred it to his work. Sheron believes that we can cultivate a similar attitude in ourselves through the meditation of awareness .

I recently asked Sharon about meditation and work. Below are 5 of the most effective lessons that we talked about.
But first you should dispel a few myths about what meditation is.

What is meditation

Sheron explains that, contrary to popular belief, meditation is not related to "superstition and something paranormal."

Studying meditation is beneficial: it can shake your prejudices and give you a better understanding of the essence of awareness. According to Sharon, one of the reasons leading people to meditation is their desire to see what scientists are so much fussing about, because a growing number of studies surrounds meditation.

One of the myths , for example, says: when meditating, you should try to stop all your thoughts. It is not true. Sheron explains: “the goal of meditation is not to stop thinking ... but to change your own attitude to thoughts, to stop losing constantly in them and fight with them.”

Meditation simply implies a deep understanding of the current moment, a constant return of attention to what you decided to focus on (for example, breathing). In fact, this does not contradict the work-oriented atmosphere and can even increase your productivity.

1. Meditation increases concentration at work.

It did not take a year of crazy experiments to understand: concentration is the key to productivity. The better you can concentrate, the more you can do.

Awareness and meditation can come to the rescue. Sharon told me that concentration is “one of the fundamental skills of meditation . ” As weight lifting exercises the arms, so meditation enhances concentration .

Sheron says that by meditating, "you learn to collect unbridled energy and distribute it, so you become more focused and have more forces at your disposal that can be spent purposefully . " Meditation really requires serious concentration - by focusing on the current moment, you are actually training your ability to hold attention, improving it.

One of the main reasons that meditation helps you focus is this: it creates a mood less susceptible to stimuli. Reflections about the past, for example, usually distract us from current work and reduce productivity.

Another factor here is the negative internal dialogue: looping on ruthless self-criticism is the path to absent-mindedness. But Sharon notes that through meditation, “we gracefully throw everything out of our heads and start from scratch, and this is one of the options for work. As a result, you stop wandering among these clichés: I'm so bad. I'm a loser. I'm so terrible. It will never change. ”

Attention to your way of thinking will allow you to get rid of this accusatory internal dialogue, making us not only more productive in work, but also happier.

2. Meditation helps restrain impulsiveness.

According to Sharon, meditation improves the ability for purposeful activity, which is directly related to the control of impulses.

Attention to oneself is the ability to be aware of immediate feelings, which in turn frees one from the need to control these sensations. There is even evidence that consciousness ● helps to increase the areas of the brain responsible for controlling impulses.

One 2012 study did indeed discover ^★ that "a short period of mindfulness meditation can serve as a quick and effective strategy to promote self-control in the face of a lack of resources . " Meditation can recharge your self-checking battery.

According to Sharon, “research demonstrates: meditation greatly influences the executive function” and “improving the executive function is a sign of a decrease in impulsivity in people . ”

Impulses can distract from work , so we want to reduce their number. Whether you just want your boss to not catch up with non-work related activities, or really want to improve your efficiency, meditation and awareness can help you.

What seems to me interesting: we do not just have scientific evidence of these facts, but we begin to understand why this is happening. A 2013 study in Psychological Science explains that “attention to the current moment and non-judgmental perception of what is happening, which are cultivated by the training of awareness,” certainly increase our ability to notice small changes in our own emotions. This prepares us to control them and reduce the number of impulses.

3.Meditation does not require much time.

Some people are afraid that after they start exercising, the time spent on meditation will increase, making them even less productive than before. Despite the fact that even tense practice will undoubtedly save time, you can shorten it by limiting the duration of classes. The limit will be even tougher if you try to combine meditation with an intense workflow.

Sharon recalled a dialogue some time ago in which her friend mentioned his desire to do meditation.

Sheron asked: "How much time can you really devote to this?"

“10 minutes a day for a month,” he replied.

“That will be enough,” answered Sharon.

A little meditation is better than none at all, so you should start with the duration of the exercises that is convenient for you - even if it is 5, 10 or 20 minutes a day.

The idea that even short episodes of mindfulness meditation can be useful is supported by a study ^★ .

4. Meditation can be woven into routine

You can safely turn on meditation on your day by tying episodes of mindfulness to ordinary activities.

Sharon began to clearly understand this idea when her Tibetan teacher, along with officially recognized periods of meditation, encouraged short moments of awareness during the day. They called it "short moments many times."
For her book “Real Happiness at Work” ^★ Sharon asked a question about short moments many times: “What will it look like if you are at work?”

The answer is: it will seem as if you are doing something normal, just adding awareness to it. Sheron recommends choosing the action already taken in the course of the work and using it as a signal to spend a few seconds on the exercise.

For example, when a phone rings, you should miss 3 signals before answering. Use the released time to engage your consciousness in the current moment. She notes that the same principle works with e-mail: “having written a letter, do not immediately click on“ send ”. Take a few breaths and exhale, reread it and then decide whether you want to send it out . ”

5. Meditation works best if you practice more than 5 minutes a day.

Sharon meditates daily for 30 or 40 minutes, but, of course, this is not for everyone. She recommends that you aim at a minimum of 20 minutes of classes per day, although she assumes that the path to such an indicator may take time. This is especially true if you have a responsible job.

“Why did I call exactly 20 minutes a day? The reason is that many people sitting at home for the first 5 or so minutes will be completely in the grip of their thoughts , ”she says. It may take time to “settle” in the present moment, so meditation for 5 (at least) minutes is optimal.

But if it seems impossible, do not give up. "Daily" in this case is more important than quantity. Sheron remarks: if you have only 5 minutes to meditate on a certain day, you need to use them: “Do not think that this is meaningless . ”

PS We recommend another article on the topic - you are taking the necessary break - or just lazy?

Translated by Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult .