Mindfulness at Work Doesn’t End When You Leave Work
This week I wrote a piece over at Fast Company about a “minor work habit” that is leading to burnout for countless workers, from junior team members to executives. What’s the habit? E-mail. Or rather, answering work e-mail after 7 or 8 PM. What I prove in the article is that there’s an extremely high chance that all those e-mails you feel obligated to answer from your boss are completely unnecessary — and I have numbers to prove it. To read the full story, click here.
The e-mail trap is one example of the effects of not applying mindfulness to all of your activities, throughout the day. Anytime you’re engaging in a work task that is raising your levels of stress (which includes answering e-mails from your boss, especially when you’re tired in the evening) it’s crucial that you also be monitoring your emotional and physical state. If you’re experiencing high stress levels all day, be sure to question whether the specific task could be accomplished some other way, or time.
Mindfulness doesn’t take breaks. But the benefits–your health, productivity, and well-being–far outweigh the effort.