Distraction is easy. Let's make mindfulness even easier.
The neuroscientist Sara Lazar shares some simple tricks to building a habit of mindfulness.
Mindfulness should be easy to do. And you’d think it’d be a no-brainer (no pun intended) given the many scientifically backed benefits, like brain health and stress reduction. It also has the perk of allowing you to be present in the moment.
But it’s become increasingly easier to not be present in the moment. It’s far more convenient to tap into our infinite supply of entertainment, shopping, email, and messages. Or to mind-wander over work tasks and world events.
So, today I’m going to try and make mindfulness just a little easier for you.
Below you’ll find some steps to building a habit of mindfulness, each optimized for simplicity. The suggestions come from Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist and head of the Lazar Lab for Meditation Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Lazar has done some pioneering research into mindfulness, using brain scans to better understand the positive effects of meditation and yoga.
Before we get to the advice, here’s how Dr. Lazar defined mindfulness: “Mindfulness is just awareness of what you’re actually doing.” It’s that simple:
I am on a run through the park.
I am having coffee with a friend.
I am writing a report for work.
I am having breakfast with my kids.
I am writing a newsletter.
Focus your thoughts on what you’re doing and that’s mindfulness. Of course, it’s easier said than done. Here are some tips that Dr. Lazar shared to start a habit:
1. Use the built environment.
Pick something in your environment and use it as a cue to be mindful. It could be the front door to your home or a plant you walk by in your office. Whenever you see the object, take a second to realize what you’re doing.
Research has shown that attaching your actions to cues—known as reminders through association—can boost the chances that you’ll follow through on the task.
Dr. Lazar proposed starting with one or two environmental cues, then build up from there. I do this during my commute to work. When my train emerges from underground and travels over the Manhattan Bridge, I take a minute to stop what I’m doing and be present. The change from underground to bridge is my cue.
2. Attach mindfulness to attention-grabbing cues.
Similarly, Dr. Lazar said to connect mindfulness moments to alerts. For example, do it when you hear the notification “ding” of your phone.
“The phone ‘ding’ is a mindfulness bell. Pause, check in, then grab your phone to look at it,” said Dr. Lazar. As I’ve written about before, this habit can also help you lessen unwanted phone time.
3. Be mindful when switching from one thing to the next.
Dr. Lazar said if you aren’t mindful when changing from one action to the next, you risk emotional spillover. This is when emotions or thoughts from one moment carry into the next. It’s bound to happen at work if you’re racing from meeting to meeting or jumping from message to message. Emotional spillover, Dr. Lazar said, can be stressful.
To avoid it, she said, take a couple of seconds to take note of what just happened. Then let go of the moment and turn to whatever’s next.
4. Schedule tiny mindfulness breaks.
Put time on your calendar to take little mindfulness breaks, Dr. Lazar advised. These don’t have to be 30-minute or hour-long blocks. A few seconds or minutes will help you build a sustainable habit. Dr. Lazar emphasized this in our conversation—mindfulness doesn’t require a lot of time.
“You can really calm down your system a lot in two to three minutes,” she added.
As we wrap up, this seems like the right point to offer you a suggestion: now that you’ve finished reading, consider taking a minute to be mindful about what you’re doing right now. Think about it. Then let go of the moment and move on to whatever’s next.
Thanks for reading.
Eric