Welcome to my practice on just this.
I'm Mary Beth Highland,
Workplace culture consultant and teacher here on Insight Timer.
We often feel stressed at work because we have too much on our to-do list.
We are thinking about all the things we must accomplish and wondering how it'll all get done,
Leaving us anxious and depleted of our energy.
It can be a never ending cycle of suffering when you don't have the tools and techniques to stop the pattern of overwhelm.
Most of us think that multitasking is the way to combat this pattern.
This juggling act has often been considered a skilled expectation on the job,
But we couldn't have gotten that more wrong.
Research shows that multitasking leads to as much as 40% of a drop in productivity and a 10% drop in IQ.
It hinders our ability to problem solve and think creatively,
Making you less likely to come up with good solutions.
Brain scans reveal that chronic multitaskers have higher likelihoods of depression,
Anxiety,
And poor impulse control while also creating a lack of empathy and emotional control.
To top it off,
Studies also show that a person who is interrupted through multitasking takes 50% longer to accomplish their task and they make up to 50% more errors.
So how can we activate mindfulness to shut down all the distractions and competing priorities in our heads?
Enter just this.
Just this is a simple mantra that can be used to close down those extra tabs in your mind and focus on just what you have in front of you.
Mantra,
Translating in Sanskrit,
Literally means a tool for the mind.
Mantras are words or short phrases that can be used repeatedly to help you focus your attention.
When you go through the day thinking about what hasn't gotten done yet and feel your to-do list piling up,
Remind yourself of the just this mantra.
Just this email.
Just this meeting.
Just this conversation.
Just this report.
You get the point,
Right?
When we use mantras,
We can remind ourselves of what we want instead of burdening ourselves with what we don't want.
You can repeat that mantra out loud or quietly in your mind.
It's a gentle reminder that the only thing I have to do right now is just this.
Consider just this when you're trying to figure out how to handle stressful situations,
Prevent burnout,
And reduce anxiety at work.
Just this presentation.
Just this piece of reading.
Just this phone call.
Just this one-on-one.
By adding just this in front of the one thing you want to focus on,
You're telling your mind that it has permission to take on just that.
I'd encourage you to proactively utilize just this before you start each of your transitions in the day.
You can use it as a filter when looking at your priorities to decide what am I just going to focus on now?
And when you find your mind wandering in a meeting or you open up a couple more tabs on your computer to multitask while you're meant to be,
Present in a Zoom meeting,
Or even when you simply feel overwhelmed and need to focus on what you can control,
Come back to just this.
Perhaps you even use it to break up your day with intention.
Just this breath.
Just this walk.
Just this cup of tea.
Just this time in nature.
The possibilities are endless when you focus on just this.
So where will you begin to narrow down your focus so you can increase your wellbeing,
Productivity,
And mindfulness?
This is Mary Beth Hyland reminding you to do just this in order to give yourself and others permission to be human.
