It seems everywhere we turn we are being advised to meditate. 2014 was dubbed the year of mindful living, by Huffington Post. And according to JWT Worldwide, one of the world's largest marketing communications brands, "mindfulness -- that is, the cultivation of a focused awareness on the present moment -- and mindful living, was named one of 10 trends that will shape the world in 2014 and beyond."
So why is mindfulness such a hot topic in business? We work in an increasingly complex, fast paced, tech-dominated world and people are crying out for peace and time for reflection. Bill George, a current Goldman Sachs board member and a former chief executive of Medtronic, wrote on the matter for Harvard Business Review “The main business case for meditation is that if you’re fully present on the job, you will be more effective as a leader, you will make better decisions and you will work better with other people”.
How does activity based working support mindfulness?
A core benefit of working in an ABW environment, is that it gives people moments during the day, to stop and think about what they are doing next. It provides a chance to become more mindful about the task at hand, and then the opportunity to make decisions to do it more effectively. Rather than just heading back to a desk, without any thought about the task, ABW encourages employees to have a moment in time to stop and think about what they are about to do, and consider the following:
- What is the task at hand?
- Who might I need to work with on this task?
- Where would be the best place to do this?
- What tools do I need to help me do this most effectively
It's this magical moment of pause and reflection that can be the key to unleashing the much desired mythical beasts, collaboration and efficiency. It manufactures a mini moment of mindfulness in an otherwise busy, reactive corporate environment, and the regular practice of meditation can assist in the realization of this benefit.
If you would like to explore how this would work for you, have a look at the new drop-in meditation centre in Sydney's CBD called Centered Meditation. What a great way to give it a go!
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