Meditate at Work…Are You Crazy?

A friend of mine recently told me, “If you don’t have 20 minutes to meditate then take an hour.”

I laughed and found this amusing, but it got me thinking…

I had always heard that meditation has the potential to improve productivity, but never felt like I had enough time to devote to the activity.

If I’m already spread thin, how can I find more time?

It’s a catch 22. In order to explore this idea a bit further, my colleagues at Voyage and I decided to give it a try…

For the last year, we’ve been doing 10-minute meditations at the office three times a week.

And we’ve had some pretty extraordinary results!

Prioritization ~ I get more done in less time.

Instead of just jumping from traffic into my chair thinking about a million things I need to do for the day, the 10 minutes we take to meditate actually helps me to prioritize my thoughts and helps me slow down.

It’s the opposite of what you think you need to do, but it’s actually the trick to accomplishing more.

More Clarity & Mental Focus ~ I’m less stressed.

By taking a few minutes to deal with my stress effectively, I find that I’m more able to focus on my own goals as well as the goals of the company.

Additionally, by removing clutter from my mind I am more easily able to hone in on the things that matter.

Improved Communication ~ I express myself more clearly.

A clear mind expresses clear thoughts and successful communication includes attentive listening.

After meditation, I find myself listening more carefully to seek understanding of my colleagues and our clients.

Companies like Google & Intel have already gotten on board with meditation as an effective workplace activity and have programs in place for their employees.

If you’re curious about how meditation could benefit you at work (or in focusing on your creative project), I urge you to give it a try!

We like to use the app Headspace at the Voyage office – they have a 10-day free trial available for new users.

It only takes 10 minutes :)

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*This article was originally written and published for the front page of the Voyage Media Blog in 2018.