In this week’s Workplace Wednesday give yourself space and insight between meetings.
Do you ever have days with back-to-back meetings with no space for breathing or preparing? It’s sometimes just not an option to find space – there are days like that. But when you don’t have space before a meeting, it can come out in your behavior, reactivity and even productivity.
In today’s Workplace Wednesday, learn about the importance of taking a pause before meetings, and tips to help find that space.
Your thoughts have the power to determine how you show up to meetings, and influence the tone of the overall meeting. So make a change – and a plan to pause and show up differently for your next meeting.
There are a few ways to do this:
- Just pause. This one is the easiest. Find time before your meetings to just be. Gather yourself with awareness and take one minute to breath, look at an object on your desk, or listen to the sound of traffic.
- Pause and reflect. Or, try to get to know your mind better with some insight. Three minutes before a meeting today, take a moment to check in with your thoughts. What thoughts are present as you head into this meeting? Is this a thought you’ve previously had before joining a similar meeting? Is there a thought pattern you notice?
- Get some help from technology. Utilize your calendar’s tools to set scheduled events to end five minutes early. (For example, if you use Google Calendar: in your Calendar settings window, scroll down to Event settings and click the Speedy meetings box.)
- Practice appreciation. Let’s say you didn’t have time to find space before your meeting and you are still feeling some emotional reactivity. Counter that reactivity with some appreciation. Take a look around the room at your colleagues and silently appreciate them. This can stop patterns and get you off the roller coaster.
Want some help? Try this 5 minute screen break guided meditation.
Learn more about how the Healthy Minds Framework can support your workplace well-being with Healthy Minds @Work .
