Week 5
How to improve decision-making processes
STRENGTHEN YOUR MINDFULNESS PRACTICE
This week you can start with a longer Body Scan practice, if you feel ready to do it. You can choose one of the exercises below to do it twice a day and every day you can pick a different one.
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3-Minute Body Scan In The Workplace
4-Minute Mindful Breath Exercise
BREATHING REMINDER and GRATITUDE PRACTICE
When you use your phone's alarm to bring your awareness back to your breathing, also think of the first thing that comes into your mind for which you are grateful. It could be the feeling of stroking the cat, drinking fresh water, a chat with a friend. There are many little things that we can learn to notice and appreciate.
This exercise will take no more than 30 seconds and you can do it as you have in the previous weeks.
Set your phone with 4 random alarms over the day. Each time you hear the alarm, bring your attention to the movement of your body breathing, just for one in-breath and one out-breath, and at the same time think about something for which you are grateful. Maybe you can find something looking around you and if nothing comes to your mind it’s ok, just notice that, without any judgement.
TAKING A MINDFUL MOMENT
This week, you are encouraged to do this exercise at least once. Your Mindful Moment will be waiting mindfully. Queuing for something can be a great opportunity to practise mindfulness. Maybe you are waiting in a queue in the bank, or waiting to talk to someone in your office, or waiting for a meeting to start, all these situations are perfect for practising One-Minute Breathing Space, for example.
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Very important: I suggest that you schedule this exercise the day before you do it.
IMPROVING DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES
What makes mindfulness such a useful tool for business decision-making? Mindfulness has several daily-activity applications, as you have seen when practising Mindful Moment exercises over the last few weeks. If you want to improve your decision-making skills, mindfulness can make a big difference.
When you are aware of your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and the environment around you, the decision-making process becomes a thoughtful and cognitive act, rather than an instinctive reaction triggered by stress. By practising mindfulness, we can be more creative problem-solvers, we can improve our ability to identify the unwanted consequences of potential decisions, we can better identify decisions that need to be made.
Next training:
Week 6 - Mindfulness into daily life