Mindfulness at Work
www.mindful.org

How important is mindfulness in business?

Having attended a Forward Ladies event sponsored by Barclays I came away inspired, enthused and reinvigorated.  It set me thinking about how often do we do that for ourselves?  Or do we just stay stressed individuals, trying to keep up with the rapid pace of life.  Practicing mindfulness is one way inspiration and relaxation can be achieved, with surprising results.

The two speakers, Deirdre Bounds founder of i-to-i and Sally Preston, Kiddylicious, both agreed in the Q&A session that when running a business taking time out for you (the business owner/founder) was very important.  Their advice?  Book a holiday!  So with the summer months approaching – I know the weather isn’t complying with the sentiment – where and when is your holiday going to be?

When I first started my business in September 2000 I remember people being really surprised that I had already booked a week’s holiday in late October.  It was the best thing I could have done as the pattern was then established.  Over the last 13 years I have taken more and more time out from the business, and the result?  A fall in turnover?  A loss of business?  No!  An increase in both my client base and my turnover.  So much for the addage “I can’t afford the time…”.  You can’t afford not to!  As the late Stephen Covey agreed with his 7th habit “Sharpen the Saw”.

Regular, smaller, timeouts are also extremely important.  I recently came across this post which identifies the benefit of taking time out while at work https://www.mindful.org/mindfulness-practice/a-new-way-to-work? together with the infographic on the mind at work.