Research shows that mindfulness has all sorts of benefits. Yet most of us struggle to find the time to do any sort of mindfulness exercise. Get over the hurdle by running an experiment. Commit to practicing 10 minutes of mindfulness training each day for four weeks. You can listen to a guided meditation or use an app to help you. During the four weeks, try to maintain your focus on a single task at a time and notice when you find your mind drifting — a sign that your brain wishes to multitask. When this happens, mentally shut down all the superfluous tasks entering your thoughts, while maintaining focus on the task at hand. Multitasking keeps your mind full, busy, and under pressure — the opposite of what you want. And be sure to avoid the distraction of checking your inbox first thing in the morning. If you read your email as soon as you wake up, your mind will get sidetracked, and you’ll begin to slide toward being reactive. Schedule a check-in with yourself after two weeks to assess how the experiment is going.
Adapted from "Spending 10 Minutes a Day on Mindfulness Subtly Changes the Way You React to Everything," by Rasmus Hougaard, Jacqueline Carter, and Gitte Dybkjaer
