There's a quiet truth at the heart of every organisation: people are paid for their presence, but what we really need is their attention.
It's easy to mistake the two. Someone can sit at their desk for eight hours, log into the right systems, nod in the right meetings, and still not truly be there. Their time is on the clock, yes — but their mind may be wandering through tomorrow's dinner plans, last night's argument, or a creeping to-do list. The difference between being physically present and mentally present is subtle but profound. And costly.
We don't get results from time alone. We get results when someone brings their attention to the task, holds it there, and uses it skilfully. Attention is what drives creative problem-solving, good communication, and deep engagement. It's what enables someone to notice the small thing that matters, or to stay with a problem just long enough to see it in a new way.
But attention doesn't come free with the employment contract. It's not something people automatically bring just because they showed up to work. In fact, attention is under siege. With digital distractions, workplace stress, and the human mind's natural tendency to wander, it's no wonder people find it hard to stay focused. What we call “a busy day” is often just a fragmented one.
So if you're not actively helping people use their attention well, you're likely losing much of what you're paying for. You're getting the shell — not the substance.
This is where mindfulness becomes more than a personal wellbeing tool. It becomes a business imperative.
Mindfulness teaches people how to bring their mind back — again and again — to what matters. It trains the mental muscle of focus, helping people to notice when their attention has drifted and gently return it to the task at hand. More importantly, it helps them do this without judgment, reducing stress and mental friction.
This shift can be subtle but powerful. A mindful team member doesn't just respond quickly to an email — they pause, consider, and respond well. A mindful manager doesn't just run a meeting — they listen, adjust, and create space for new ideas. A mindful organisation doesn't just demand attention — it cultivates it.
It's not enough to hope that people stay focused. We need to support it, train it, and encourage it. We already invest in software, systems, and processes to improve performance. Why wouldn't we also invest in the foundation of performance — attention itself?
So the next time you think about productivity, don't start with time. Start with attention. Because that's what you're really paying for. And when people learn to use it well, everybody wins.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of choosing an object of your attention, and then deliberately focussing on it.
You might say that you do this all the time. When you are watching Netflix, aren't you keeping your attention on the movie or series that you are watching? Does this mean that watching Netflix is mindfulness? Sure. Why not. Let's say that watching Netflix is mindfulness. Does that mean that every time you slob out on the couch after a hard day at work and watch something on Netflix you are being mindful? That would be nice, as we know that mindfulness has lots of benefits, but, unfortunately, it is not the case.
Just watching Netflix is not enough. We need to be intentionally watching it. We have to have the deliberate intention of keeping our awareness on what we are watching. That means that we have to notice when we are not focussing on the object of our attention and then deliberately bring our awareness back to that object.
When we watch Netflix casually, we don't do this. If the action switches to a scene with the Eiffel Tower, we might start thinking about how we would like to go to Paris, and that we will have to work for another six months to save up enough money. All the while the heroine of the movie is screaming around the streets by the Seine in her Porche while being shot at by an assassin on a motorbike. Or whatever. We are still watching Netflix, we can still follow the plot, but the reality is that our attention has wandered.
This happens in mindfulness practice all the time but, what makes mindfulness different, is that when we notice our focus has strayed from the object of our attention we choose to bring our awareness back to that object. This vigilance comes from the mental faculty of introspection. Introspection is the ability to notice what is happening in our mind.
If we were to do this during our evening Netflix session then the experience would be very different. We would be deliberately and intentionally watching the screen while maintaining introspection. We would notice the wishful thought about Paris and, rather than follow it, we would deliberately cut it short and return our focus to the screen.
This has dire consequences! No reaching for the Dorritos; no scrolling on our phone; no chatting to the person next to us on the couch; no discussion, even in our head, about the plot or the characters or the setting. We might even lose track of the plot altogether as we continuously and deliberately bring our focus back to simply watching the screen and what appears to be happening on it. We are still watching Netflix, Jim, but not as we know it. We are practicing mindfulness.
Woo Woo or Wahoo! ?
The instructions for how to carry out Mindfulness practice in a form that would be recognisable to anyone who has tried Mindfulness have been available in writing for over 2,000 years. These instructions, found in ancient Buddhist texts, have been reintroduced to the western world for over 60 years. So why is it only recently that Mindfulness has become a thing? The answer is not what you would expect.
The answer is technology, specifically, medical scanning technology. Today we are all very familiar with fMRI scans, Cat (CT) scans, PET scans, EEGs and even fNRIS, as diagnostic tools to help us know what is going on inside our bodies. But availability of this non-invasive insight into our bodies is a relatively recent phenomenon, particularly so when it comes to our brains.
Until recently, it has been the case the psychologists and psychiatrists were the only physicians that did not examine the organ they were treating. Imagine a heart specialist who did not even take your pulse let alone listen to your heart with a stethoscope. But for those who dealt with ailments of the mind, believed to reside in the brain, dead brains in medical school were the closest they got to actually having a look at the organ under their care.
Then along came advances in scanning technology where it became possible to examine the activity of the actual brain of the patient in real time. This was a huge breakthrough.
Before scanning technology came along it was generally thought that we had a certain number of brain cells configured in a certain way and this gave birth to our personalities and our mental abilities. Remember phrenology and the belief that you could detect criminal tendencies by the shape of the skull? A bit extreme but still in line with this general belief in the fixed brain.
Once living brains started to be examined with the help of scanning technology, it was soon obvious that brains were not fixed. Brain cells came and went. Areas of the brain changed size and the myriad connections between neurons constantly grouped and regrouped. This raised the obvious question, what brought about these changes, and what could we do to influence them?
While scanning technology was coming into its own, scientists, doctors and psychologists were travelling to Asia, some of them to learn meditation techniques. Returning to their professional lives they started to put what they had learned in the East into the context of their specialties in the West, removing cultural and religious elements but retaining the practical essence of Mindfulness practice.
Then, they set about scrutinizing the effects of what they were doing in a scientific manner using, among other things, brain scanners. The results were surprising. First, these scientific studies showed that structured Mindfulness practice helped people. It helped with reducing stress and the negative effects of stress. It helped people with psoriasis. It helped prisoners. It helped people learn and it helped in so many other ways.
Second, and perhaps most surprising of all, Mindfulness practice helped people in real time. Courses of six to eight weeks duration were enough to change the brain in positive ways, for example by increasing grey matter in the brain areas responsible for memory and increasing working memory capacity as a result. These were objectively measured results in professionally curated control studies.
Despite the science, despite the efforts to strip Mindfulness of its cultural and religious origins, it can still be something that is treated with suspicion by many and dismissed as uselessly New Age or woo woo. The science says otherwise. The science says, Wahoo!
Quality Counts, Right?
Yeah. It counts. But not the most. With Mindfulness quantity wins every time. Not just any kind of quantity either. Regularity. That's the quantity that hits the spot. The key to tapping into the potential Mindfulness offers is to create a habitual practice where you prioritise regularity over any other metric, including quality and length.
It also does not matter how you get there. You can use discipline and dedication. If that is not your strong point then try something else. Try competition with yourself, others. “I've got a Wordle streak so why can't I have a meditation streak?”. Make a rule - “I can't brush my teeth in the morning until I have had a sit”. Whatever it takes. If the risk of bad breath is what it takes then that is what it takes. No judgement. No questions asked.
Place also helps with regularity and the creation of habit. Have a dedicated spot in your house, apartment or caravan where you sit for meditation. It may be exclusive for that purpose or this place may be shared with other activities, but when it comes to meditation time, that is your spot.
Time can also be your friend but be careful it does not swap sides and become your enemy. Having a regular time slot that works with your day - perhaps different times for weekdays and weekends - can assist in the creation of the meditation habit. If your life is not so regular then perhaps have a preferred time - just after you get up for example - but be willing to let it slip just so long as you make time at some other point in the day. “I missed my time slot this morning so I can't practice today.” A lame excuse. Don't let time get in the way of your daily habit.
What if you don't feel like doing it today? That's fine, just make sure you are not feeling like doing it today while you are sitting in your dedicated place in your chair or on your cushion. Did you sit in your spot? Did you have the intention to sit there as part of your daily practice? If the answer to both these questions is “yes” then that's a tick. Practice target achieved.
This may sound like practicing Mindfulness is just going through the motions of sitting in a dedicated spot on a regular basis and nothing else. Obviously that is not the case. Mindfulness practice still involves a chosen time frame, an object of intention and the introspection to bring your focus back whenever it wanders. This is what your daily practice will usually look like. But, on those days where that just doesn't work, the bare minimum will be enough. This is how habits are created and good habits bring great results. Mindfulness is a good habit.
Is Mindfulness Dangerous?
This is not an uncommon question. At first glance we would have to think that sitting paying attention to your breath is one of the least dangerous activities you could undertake. Walking to the photocopier probably involves more hazard than that. However, that is not the full story.
As the name suggests, Mindfulness involves focusing on the workings of your own mind. Usually we focus on a chosen object of meditation and also all the random thoughts that come into our mind and distract us from concentrating on that object. Where Mindfulness can cause difficulty is two-fold.
First, some of the random thoughts that float into your awareness may be troubling or unpleasant. They may be memories of unpleasant events and feelings, or anxiety about things that are bothering you or have caused you concern in the past. Such thoughts are perhaps never that far away from our awareness but just far enough that they do not trouble us as long as we stay busy and occupied. Once we settle down, it is possible for such thoughts to float to the surface and this can, depending on the nature of the thoughts, be emotionally disturbing.
Second, the very concept of watching our own mind can affect our relationship with external reality. This will only really occur after an intense meditation experience or an intensive Mindfulness course, but it can happen and so we need to be aware of it.
The remedy for both of these situations - the arising of disturbing thoughts and a change in our sense of reality - is to ensure that you have the external guidance appropriate to your level of practice. This always starts with the need to have a theoretical and intellectual framework to support whatever Mindfulness practice you have. The conceptual understanding of what is happening in your mind goes hand in hand with the experiences you have when you practice. The theory prepares you for the practice and then the practice help you give depth to the theory.
It is also useful to have someone available to answer questions or address concerns that arise during your Mindfulness practice. We may sit on our own, and practicing Mindfulness may often be a solitary activity, but that does not mean we are alone when we do it. There is support available and this should always be taken advantage of when required.
In essence, the secret to avoiding the pitfalls of Mindfuness practice is to take an incremental and supported approach. Learn and understand the methodology and purpose for the level of Mindfulness you are practicing. Stick with that level until you feel confident to move on and then, before you do, seek help to understand where you are headed. Make sure you are connected with a Mindfulness teacher or at least others who are roughly at the same stage of practice as you are. Having people you can openly talk to about your experiences is a great support.
The Missing Piece
Perhaps the next self-help book that should be written is how to cope with the flood of self-help books that are already written. But it probably already exists. In fact, a book on any form of self-help already exists; and a YouTube channel; and a Facebook group; and a podcast; and so on. With all this information available in so many forms, how come we are not all perfected by now? There's a piece missing. That's why.
In fact there might be several pieces missing. Pieces such as the time and energy to read, watch and listen to all that content. The piece where we can make up our minds what to choose before it is outdated or overwritten. Even with all these pieces in place there is still one piece missing. That piece is the capacity, skill and ability to put into practice any, let alone all, of what you learn.
In groups I will often ask the question: “When you were at school, who was told to pay attention?”. Nearly everyone puts their hand up. The I ask: “Who was taught how to pay attention?”. No hands go up. For historical reasons, particularly the mistaken belief that it was not possible, we have not focussed on training the functionality of our minds. We have honed the intellect and other mental skills, but we have not sought to train the mind itself. This is where Mindfulness comes in.
The practice of Mindfulness is where we learn to condition our mind so that we can achieve what we desire. We might go to a seminar and come away with a to do list of changes we want to make in our attitude and thinking. Changes that we know will benefit us. It is the skills and experience we gain in our Mndfulness practice that will give us the capacity to put these changes into effect. Mindfulness gives us the ability to escape the force of habitual thinking that blocks so many of the changes we want to make.
Learning to control and condition our minds through the practice of Mindfulness really is the missing piece to any self-improvement. It seems so simple, and even obvious, that you might wonder why this is not incorporated in every method to improve our wellbeing, resilience, energy or productivity. But it isn't, and so developing the skills that come with Mindfulness is something we must undertake ourselves to prepare for actioning the changes we want to make.
Why Is Mindfulness Popular?
Mindfulness is not just another fad or marketing ploy. Mindfulness is popular today because of two circumstances in the West that came together at the right time. One social and the other technological.
In the 1960s many graduates, particularly of U.S. universities, had the time and the money to travel. Many of them chose travel in the East, an exploration that was popularised by such groups as The Beatles. In the East they encountered the many thousand year old traditions of Eastern spirituality. These included the practice of meditation. This was particularly the case for those who travelled to Thailand and other South east Asian countries, as well as the young people who made their way to India and Tibet.
These students eventually returned to their home countries and started down more conventional paths, while not giving up the practices they had learned in the ashrams, monasteries, and retreat centres they had visited. Some of these people became doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and neuroscientists dedicated to studying the mind and how it works.
Around the same time there were technological breakthroughs in the science of medical scanning. Until then, detailed studies of the body and, particularly, the brain, were generally limited to post-mortem examinations. New scanning technologies changed that. CT, PET, MRI, fMRI and other scans provided detailed descriptions of activity and development in live brains. There was a corresponding leap in our understanding of how our brains worked .
The returned meditators naturally took advantage of this technology and soon the real time beneficial effects of meditation were being uncovered. There were now scientists who had experienced first hand the subjective benefits of Mindfulness who were armed with technology confirming these benefits as quantifiable.
This scientific backing for the existing personal and experiential knowledge of Mindfulness was the Golden Ticket. It admitted Mindfulness to the world at large. It became acceptable. Throw in a few high-profile executives wo had suffered traumatic events and used Mindfulness to recover; the clinical tool of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction that had the complete appearance of a valid medical intervention; and a work and life environment that causes huge amounts of personal stress; and the popularity of Mindfulness was assured. And it is not going away any time soon.
