天美传媒

We鈥檝e never been so connected, flooded by constant emails, texts, calls and alerts. So, what鈥檚 the result? Higher productivity? More effective management? Or a lot of stressed out executives, CEOs and employees?

The 2^nd Executive Coaching Symposium, organized by the , recently looked at how professionals can develop resilience in today鈥檚 demanding workplace and how to manage the information overload.

Dr. Rasmus Hougaard, a world-renowned mindfulness expert and founder and managing director of Potential Project, offered his perspective on the need to push aside distractions and to focus.

鈥淎ttention is one of the most scarce and important resources of today. We used to measure productivity in terms of time and skills. But now, it is equally important for getting anything done,鈥� Hougaard said.

Adding Mindfulness to the Equation

While focus is crucial at work, Hougaard said, fewer and fewer leaders are able to identify and block out distractions.

鈥�We are losing the ability to be here and now. Research has found that 47% of our time we are distracted from what we are supposed to be doing,鈥� he said. Information overload and hyper-connectivity are harming our ability to focus on the tasks at hand.

鈥淭here is a growing level of attention deficit trait in organizations, which causes us to act reactively, rather than most appropriately,鈥� he said. As a result, productivity suffers and decisions are oftentimes made with an emotional or irrational mindset. With our minds racing uncontrollably, Hougaard explained, we begin acting on autopilot.

Mindfulness, or bringing your attention to the present moment, can improve the lack of focus plaguing today鈥檚 workforce and contribute to better decisions. By creating the mental space to process rationally and thoughtfully, not simply reactively, 鈥測ou can see things as they really are, reappraise them, and act in a constructive way鈥�, Hougaard said. Thought and intentionality enter the equation and our field of vision is broadened.

Making Space for Creativity

Beyond better decision making and productivity, mindfulness is a terrific enzyme for sparking creativity. 鈥淐reativity comes when you eliminate all the stuff we shouldn鈥檛 be focusing on. It鈥檚 when you are actually present that creativity arises,鈥� he said. When you feel like you have a million things to get done, you don鈥檛 have the mental space to start thinking outside the box.

Not being able to focus is also undermines our well-being. The stressed-out sensation so many executives feel today is because their minds are not processing everything rationally. But by being mindful, and in control of your mind鈥檚 activity, 鈥測ou see things clearly and that the world isn鈥檛 bad and mean but rather manageable鈥�. Consequently, when a negative event arises, you are more resilient and will have a more positive outlook.

Start with 10 Minutes a Day

Hougaard emphasized how just 10 minutes of mindfulness exercise could change your life, professionally and personally. 鈥淐losing your eyes and counting your breaths from one to 10 and staying focused on your breathing is a basic and good technique to improve mindfulness,鈥� he said.

Practicing allowing your mind not to stray during this time will create the ability to deal with inputs with a cool head. 鈥淎nd if you find yourself distracted during those 10 minutes, see it as a success because you鈥檝e identified yourself being mentally distracted,鈥� he said. Becoming better at this will give you an 鈥渁dded second鈥� in your day-to-day. That is, with every stimulus your mind is triggered by (i.e. new emails, sudden phone calls, etc.), you will process more effectively and be able to have a deeper impact.