At the latest LeWeb conference, its cofounder, serial entrepreneur Loic Le Meur, confessed that he 'had to learn how to disconnect'. Like many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Le Meur is a firm believer in 'mindfulness'. Could this offer a way for us to 'reconnect with ourselves' and even hold the key to a better working life? This practice is still relatively uncommon in European workplaces and still has a long way to go before it takes hold. The idea isn't so much to break with technology, but rather to simply regain control over it by managing the information we receive.

This could mean switching off the notifications on your smartphone or even turning it off completely at weekends. ‘Technology is capable of great and terrible things and we need to learn how to disconnect and find the right balance to be more productive and, no doubt, happier’. The aim of this article isn’t to set out a comprehensive course but simply to raise your awareness a little. Your mind is both relaxed and alert… Are you ready? Welcome to the world of meditation, where everything is calm, clear and happy…

 

1-EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

First of all, we need to introduce the notion of ’emotional intelligence’, which is defined as the ability to observe your feelings and emotions, as well as those of others; to distinguish between them; and to use this information to guide your thoughts and actions.
Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, breaks emotional intelligence down into 5 components:
• self-awareness: knowing your internal states, preferences, resources and intuitions;
• self-management: managing your internal states, impulses and resources;
• motivation: emotional tendencies that guide you or make it easier to achieve objectives;
• empathy: awareness of the feelings, needs and concerns of others;
• social skills: the ability to bring about desirable reactions in others.

Why should we develop our emotional intelligence? You are well within your rights to ask what good developing your emotional intelligence will do you.
First and foremost, emotional intelligence develops excellence at work. Indeed, research has helped to demonstrate that emotional competencies are twice as important in contributing to excellence as pure intellect and expertise.

First and foremost, emotional intelligence develops excellence

How do we go about developing our emotional intelligence?
– We begin by training our attention. Why? Because the ability to focus in an intense, sustained and lucid way that promotes calm and clarity forms the basis of emotional intelligence. For example, knowing how to analyse your own thoughts and emotions from a distance as a third person would, without letting yourself be influenced by emotion or identifying with it but simply considering it clearly and objectively, requires sustained, lucid and non-judgemental focus.
– So, once we have trained our attention to be steady, sustained and capable of keen perceptions, what then? We focus it on the body. And it’s at this point that the notion of mindfulness comes in.

2-MINDFULNESS IN 2 MINUTES

The good news is that mindfulness is surprisingly easy! All you have to do is pay attention, moment-to-moment, without judging. See? It’s really not that complicated! The main challenge of mindfulness practice lies in deepening, strengthening and sustaining it.

The ‘Easy Way’:
– Gently and consistently focus on your breath for two minutes.
The ‘Easier Way’:
– Sit quietly for two minutes without doing anything in particular. The aim of this exercise is to shift from ‘doing’ to ‘being’.

3-PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE

You don’t have to be able to get into the lotus position to practise meditation at the office! Simply sit on your office chair with your feet flat on the ground, back straight and hands resting on your knees.
– Tip: to begin with, you may find it helpful to cut out any background noise. Why not try wearing headphones and meditating to music? If your surroundings are sufficiently peaceful, or if you’re able to cut yourself off from them completely, then focusing on your breath is a quick way to achieve an altered state of consciousness.
– Make changes if you need to: all meditation techniques can be practised at the office. Don’t be afraid to make slight changes if you think this will help – it’s better to meditate in a slightly different way than to not meditate at all. If nothing else, you should do at least one session every day – practising regularly counts for a lot.

4-BUILDING MEDITATION INTO YOUR ROUTINE

Meditating at work on a regular basis can help to noticeably reduce your stress levels. You may sometimes find that you need a quick fix to handle a stressful situation. The more regularly you practise, the more effective – and fast-acting – meditation becomes. If you aren’t meditating already, why not try out these tips? You’ve nothing to lose!
Meditating at the office will give you the tools needed to handle any situation – not just at work. It would be a shame not to try something that does you good and is enjoyable to boot!

Further reading: Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan

How about you? What solutions have you come up with for meditating at work?