Five Ways In Which Mindfulness Helps You Be More Productive

Mindfulness is all the rage lately. Within millennial circles, mindfulness has attained as much popularity as yoga, meditation and other practices of reducing stress and anxiety. The scientific community, in fact, regards mindfulness as a valid and important way to take care of your mental health. Mindfulness is not only good for your mental health but it also improves sleep, heart health, and may reduce chronic lower back pain, as per various studies. It also improves your productivity.

What Exactly Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist practice that has now become part of modern-day living. Simply put, mindfulness is nothing but living in the moment. It encourages you to focus on the present, instead of wallowing in your thoughts. Paying attention to your environment, thoughts, feelings and actions in the present moment has a lot of benefits especially for your productivity.

Here are five ways in which practicing mindfulness can improve your productivity. 

Better, More Efficient Work

Mindfulness can improve your productivity by making you a more efficient worker. The reasons are quite clear. Practicing mindfulness improves your attention and makes you less likely to be distracted. A study conducted by the Institute of Neuroinformatics and Laboratory for Body and Mind in China found that only a few days of meditation and mindfulness training improves attention and lessens stress. As a result of a better attention span, you are able to focus on your work and deliver a better performance.

Mindfulness can improve your productivity by making you a more efficient worker. Practicing mindfulness improves your attention and makes you less likely to be distracted.

Less Stress And Anxiety

Mindfulness comes with the immediate benefit of lessened stress and anxiety. Since you're focussing on the present moment, you're less likely to think about the traffic you faced in the morning or the presentation that you have to submit later in the evening. Stress and anxiety are obviously never good for productivity. In fact, people who practice mindfulness on a daily basis are less likely to experience as much stress or anxiety in the first place. Being able to stay calm and focus on the present moment makes you a better worker, and a lot more productive.

READ ALSO: Five Natural Ways To Reduce Anxiety, Stress And Be Calm 

Better Sleep

A study published by JAMA Internal Medicine states that practicing mindfulness may improve the quality of your sleep. Mindfulness teaches you to keep away the thoughts that might hinder your sleep at night. Getting proper, 7-8 hours of sleep is crucial to your productivity. It keeps you well-rested and therefore, focussed and more attentive. When the quality of your sleep improves, so do your productivity levels.

Mindfulness teaches you to keep away the thoughts that might hinder your sleep at night. Getting proper, 7-8 hours of sleep is crucial to your productivity.

A Stronger Immune System

It is virtually impossible to up your productivity if you're feeling sick or burned out. Burning out is common if you're stressed or overworked. Your immune system can only handle so much. However, a study conducted by the Department of Psychology of the University of Wisconsin states that mindfulness practice improves your immunity. With a better immune system, you're less likely to fall sick. As a result, you're more focussed at work and thus more productive.

Increased Happiness

You would think that meditation and mindfulness have no correlation with one's mood or happiness. However, a  University of North Carolina-University of Michigan study proves that there is a direct link between the time spent in practicing mindfulness and a person's capacity for happiness. If you're feeling more positive and less negative emotions, then it is bound to make you more productive. Negative thinking, sadness, and depression make you less productive. Mindfulness is an easy way to counter that.

READ ALSO: Five Habits You Should Abandon To Increase Productivity 

Image Credit: businessnewsdaily.com

Prapti is an intern at SheThePeople.TV. The views expressed are the author's own.