Life is full of distractions which is why you need to practice mindfulness in your business in order to achieve success. Our phones are constantly ringing and buzzing, we’re getting notifications from multiple apps, there’s the ever-so-tempting Netflix account, dogs, kids, co-workers… arghhh there’s so much happening around us constantly. It’s a wonder we get any work done at all!

I’ve seen too many entrepreneurs, myself included, quickly lose focus and burn out because we hustle first and not really think about our own well-being. We can be doing one thing, like writing a blog post, but our minds are always wandering. Constantly thinking of all the different things we still need to do, what we’re gonna have for lunch, that thing that Karen said yesterday that bugged you, calling your mom back… It’s endless. It’s horrible. It needs to stop.

Multitasking is an expected part of the working world, but is it really that effective? Is it really the best way to work and get things done? All signs point to no.

You Need to Start Practicing Mindfulness in Your Business, STAT!

Mindfulness is the state of being aware of what you are doing in each moment. It’s doing everything with intention and focusing on that one thing and that thing only. When you’re being mindful, you’re fully engaged in whatever you are doing/experiencing, your thoughts, actions, words are all focused on that present moment. Instead of letting your life fly by, you live in the moment and embrace your current experience, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

So, how do you become mindful? I like to take a break and just breathe. When I hear the chatter in my head, when all my worries and fears start to surface, when I start going over my to do list and getting overwhelmed, I like to stop what I’m doing and breathe. I take 5 deep breaths and re-focus my attention to the NOW, to the present moment. Once I feel that the chatter has gone, I continue with the one task that all my focus is on.

For example, if I am in the middle of designing a logo and the chatter starts to cloud my brain, I walk away from my computer. I usually meditate for 5 minutes to clear my head and allow myself to feel calm and re-focus on creativity. Then I come back to my laptop and just concentrate on the logo, nothing else.

What would happen if you were mindful with your business? You could finally focus all your attention on finishing that blog post and do it with joy and with no distractions.

There are so many benefits on practicing mindfulness in your business, but here are my top four:

Mindfulness Improves Your Focus + Productivity

When you are being mindful, your full attention is on one task so you finish it easier and faster. When you try to multitask, your attention is torn on different projects and therefore, different thoughts. You basically half-ass everything because you are not giving them all your energy and focus.

I remember I used to think multitasking was great, a badge of honor even. In reality, I would be blogging and then I would remember I had not posted anything on Instagram. Le gasp! I would hurry and turn my attention on to social media, post something mediocre, then return to writing my blog post. By doing so I cut off my inspiration and whatever I was writing did not flow as easily. Its a form of self sabotaging. If I had been mindful I would have written that post with joy and later in the day could have Instagrammed something organically with the same amount of joy, because I’m living in the moment.

Mindfulness Nurtures Creativity

Oh yeah, mindfulness totally taps into your deepest and truest creativity! When you are living in the moment and doing things with intention and joy, your creativity is unleashed!

Think about it this way, when you are forcing yourself to finish projects just so you can tick the boxes and move down your to-do-list… you are not allowing the proper time for your creativity to flourish. By taking your time and living in the present, working on the one task at hand, you allow your creative juices to flow.

Mindfulness Reduces Stress

When you are mindful, you are more aware of your thoughts. When you are faced with a problem or block in the road, you have a moment to pause and come up with the best solution. When you are not mindful, you tend to jump to conclusions and make quick decisions without any thought just to get past the roadblock.

Rather than reeling in negative thoughts due to a problem, when you are mindful you make better choices. You can step back from your negative thoughts and not take them so literally. This will save you from stress and anxiety and lets you see things more clearly.

Mindfulness Helps You Enjoy Life

Since I started being mindful I live a more joyful life. When you become aware of your actions, and focus on whatever you are doing at the present moment, you enjoy life more. Being mindful makes you enjoy the food you are eating, the scenery you are looking at, the book you are reading, and the conversations you are having. It makes you stop and smell the roses, see their color, feel texture, and appreciate the joy they bring you.

How many times have you driven home after work and totally forgot you did it? We carry out most of our daily activities on auto-pilot and without much thought. We eat, shower, clean the house, work, without paying much attention to what we are doing, like robots! If you are being mindful, then you are present and life doesn’t pass you by, you actually live it.

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Mindfulness will help your business succeed because when you present in the moment and are doing things with intention, then you are doing things with love. Would you give mindfulness a try? Let me know in the comments below!