Working From Home

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a situation where very many people have to work from home. In this practice, you are encouraged to meet the new day mindfully. There are tips on home working, keeping work to allocated hours, taking breaks. Remote working is the new norm for many. All helpful advice is welcome as new ways of working are forced upon us more quickly than might have been expected

Transcript

Music Dear friends,

Many people are working from home these days,

And I hope this meditation will help you along the way.

Let's start at the very beginning.

Can we begin by each of us taking a big stretch?

We've all been sitting down,

So a big stretch,

Maybe a big yawn,

Would be good.

Roll those shoulders for a bit,

And then relax completely.

Take a few deep breaths as you close your eyes,

And notice that you are here,

Now.

Notice how it's good to be working together,

Even though physically apart.

There's nothing to do for these few moments,

Except to be here,

Now.

Let's pause for one minute,

Sixty seconds,

To give ourselves a break,

And allow ourselves to commence the present.

Music Welcome back.

Today's theme is I'm working from home,

I don't have time to meditate.

Now of course you don't,

And I don't.

That is,

If you look upon meditation as sitting for an hour in the morning,

And an hour in the evening,

Who could do it,

Unless it was your full-time job?

So instead,

What I'm going to suggest to you is so easy that you cannot not do it.

It takes just 5 or 10 minutes in the morning,

That's all.

Just the same time as it takes for you to have a double quick shower,

Or the time it takes for the brushing of your teeth.

My own introduction to mindfulness came through reading a book by John Kabat-Zinn,

Mindfulness Meditations for Everyday Life.

That was about 25 years ago.

He defined mindfulness in this way.

He said,

Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention on purpose in the present moment non-judgmentally.

Now we need to take that one slowly.

Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention on purpose in the present moment non-judgmentally.

To which we need to add the words,

So that we can respond with kindness.

I mean,

Being mindful is one thing,

But to be any use to humanity we have to direct it to a purpose,

To a good purpose.

So in the morning,

We stop for 5 or 10 minutes.

To do what?

Well first of all,

To do nothing.

That is very important.

It's so important to take time to stop and just be.

First we need to generate a feeling of thankfulness for the fact that we've woken up to a new day.

Chesterton says something about going to bed at night and getting up in the morning.

He puts it this way.

Here dies another day,

During which I have had eyes,

Ears,

Hands and the great world round me,

And with tomorrow begins another.

Why am I allowed to?

Why am I allowed to?

So in the morning we really should first of all express gratitude for the fact that we are alive again.

And secondly,

Set our purpose for this new day.

Not so much a to-do list,

More a to-be list.

For instance,

Maybe today I can try to be more patient,

More positive.

Or for today I will aim to be more kind to the people I deal with.

Today I'll watch for an opportunity to do something good.

Today I will look out for a chance to perform some act of unexpected generosity.

A generous act for no reason,

With no thought of reward.

This 5 or 10 minutes in the morning is an opportunity to set our motivation for the day.

Now you might ask,

Will this help,

And how will it help?

It will help,

And the reason is very simple.

If we fly into the day unprepared,

We'd be like a boxer jumping into a ring,

Without knowing whether we'll confront a boxer,

Or a wrestler,

Or a full-on martial arts opponent.

At the very first encounter,

We'll find ourselves taken by surprise,

Unsteady on our feet,

And knocked down.

Another example would be soccer players.

Imagine soccer players running out onto the pitch,

And only then realising that the game they're expected to play is not soccer at all,

But rugby,

Or Gaelic,

Or American football,

And they thinking they weren't even allowed to touch the ball.

In other words,

Taken by surprise and unprepared.

Now we never know what challenge any particular new day will bring,

But bring some challenge they will,

That is for sure.

But by stopping and reflecting at the start of the day,

We can focus our minds so that at least the first problem we encounter will not leave us flattened on the floor.

This is not a magic bullet,

Although we can hope it might be effective,

Maybe 75% of the time.

It doesn't guarantee that a series of blows in quick succession won't knock us out,

But at least we begin with a better chance.

And we are more likely to be able to bounce up again if we can remember to fall back on the awareness of the breath.

You see there is some wisdom in the old saying,

Take a deep breath and count to ten.

These tips apply to a domestic situation as well as our work.

Let's pause for one minute to think about how we might manage tomorrow.

What approach will we bring to tomorrow now that we've been advised to prepare more mindfully?

What is the basic attitude that we will bring as we start our new day tomorrow?

Just 60 seconds of reflection.

8 Welcome back.

Finally for today,

A little advice since this meditation is designed especially for people who are working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

We need to keep a structure to the day,

So we don't work in pyjamas or boxers,

Sitting up in bed,

Just because no one will see us.

We prepare as if we're going into an office.

And we work to a timetable as if we are in an office.

If possible,

Find a certain corner that triggers the awareness that I'm at work now,

This is my workspace.

And remember to take regular breaks,

So important.

Get up for five minutes every half an hour and stretch.

Move around,

Up and down stairs if you have stairs.

It's very easy to be absorbed in the tasks and not want to stop.

You know the feeling.

The alarm goes telling you to stop,

Take a break,

But you say to yourself I'll skip this break.

I'm inclined to do this myself,

But that is no good for the work,

And no good for ourselves.

So in telling you,

I remind myself,

Take a regular break.

And when the working day is done,

Switch off.

We all know about Parkinson's Law.

Parkinson's Law says that the work will expand to fill the time available.

And working from home,

There is potentially too much time available.

24 hours if it comes to that.

At home you have the possibility of ignoring the boundaries.

I'm sure the good people at the helm in your organisation don't want to see you down a route that leads to less efficiency and burnout.

And if you are your own boss,

You don't want that to happen either.

So get the work done in the time allotted for the work.

Have a life.

Obey the instructions about the virus,

But don't let Covid-19 take over your life.

Watch some news bulletins to keep you up to date,

But not too many.

In moments of worry,

Remember the words,

This too will pass.

It's always true.

This too will pass.

And don't bend over your computer.

I have that habit and there's a picture on the wall to remind me.

We want to be able to stand up straight when this is over.

We don't want to find ourselves bent over like our prehistoric ancestors.

I'd like to finish this reflection with some words by Laura Kelly Fenucci.

When this is over,

May we never again take for granted a handshake with a stranger,

Full shelves at the store,

Conversations with neighbours,

A crowded theatre,

Friday night out,

The taste of communion,

A routine check-up,

The school rush each morning,

Coffee with a friend,

The stadium roaring,

A boring Tuesday.

May we never take again for granted life itself.

When this ends,

May we find that we have become more like the people we wanted to be,

More like the people we were called to be,

More like the people we hoped to be.

And may we stay that way,

Better for each other because of the worst.

Words from Laura Kelly Fenucci So that's it for today good people.

Back to work now.

You might like to use the search facility to check among the thousands of meditations here on Insight Timer for another talk or meditation that answers your need at a particular time.

In the meantime,

Remember you are a one-off.

Without encouraging feelings of pride,

Can you accept that you are really a VIP?

We're all in this together,

So let's take good care of one another,

Especially these days.

Keep safe,

Keep well.

Namaste.

Reviews

That was great! Thank you very much 💚 I appreciate the quotes and what you said about covid and being kind to one another. Btw you have a great voice 😃

Another nice morning meditation from Tony with some helpful reminders for anyone who is working from home.

Excellent! Excellent! Thank you Tony🙏🏾

Thank you. Wonderful talk🙏🏻

Loved the poem! ❤️

Thank you! This was wonderful!

Excellent. As always. Your voice brings much comfort to my heart. Incredibly grateful for your talents that are shared with our brothers and sisters. Incredibly grateful I have awoken this bright chilly Friday morning with a roof to shelter thee, eyes too experience such beauty, ears to hear such music, nose to smell mother Gaia’s natural wonders and touch so that I may feel the warmth of my family. Humbly yours, Yasminka

This was great even for those of us who are retired, especially suggestions to have a routine. I have found some days deciding to skip shaving, or to not dress until midday. And way too much time staring at my computer! I need to get productive, like changing two burnt out lightbulbs which I have intended to do every day. Take care, Tony.

YOU are a VIP! Thank you for the work you do. You are a great comfort.

Thank you, Tony, always nice to get your reflections and quotes🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻Hope you are safe and well in Dublin.
I have worked from home for quite a while, and giving structure to my days came naturally. Yet these past weeks, I could not bring myself into my normal routine. And I was OK with it, after all, the world as we have known it is constantly changing, day by day, and I chose for being kind to myself, and giving myself space to adjust. Yesterday, I noticed a shift. Curious how the day ahead will be...

Thank you Tony for your guidance and positivity & the reminder its ok to just “be” a little bit everyday as we go through this strange and difficult time. Namaste 🙏🏻🌺

A bit mixed between"talk" and meditation,but it doesn't matter in my book. Excellent practice! Thank you for sharing this with us here. I see you and the light within you. Be well. 🤲🏻❤️🤲🏻

Thanks, Tony! Stay healthy. 🙏🍀🇨🇮🤸

As always I came away with a whole new perspective on things after this meditation, thank you for your kind and positive words- we all need more of that! 🌻☀️💕

Thankyou! - I liked the idea of setting an intention

Thank you for sharing wise advice about taking care of ourselves and each other. Namaste. 🌸🌺

Thanks Tony just what I needed!! Namasté 🙏🏻