How Meditation Can Help You Climb The Corporate Ladder

We all experience a lot of stress in our lives that can be particularly constricting to our productivity and potentially, and to our next promotion.

How often have you sat at your desk, trying to be creative or efficient, but found yourself staring blankly at a flashing line on the computer screen? The mental blocks that we encounter day after day are a product of our brains trying to process too many different things at once; better known as stress.

A method that you may not have originally considered helpful for you to climb up the corporate ladder is meditation.

Meditation practices are techniques that encourage and develop concentration, clarity, emotional positivity, and composure. Aren’t these all valuable aspects for trying to move up the corporate ladder?

Whether it is transcendental, chakra, zen, azem… meditation can seem way too left of field, too difficult, and time consuming. That is quite understandable. After all, how is one supposed to sit quietly and think of nothing for something to break up your lunch period, especially when there is a promotion to be had?!

Recent research has shown that meditation allows for the brain to process more cognitive and emotional information, providing it with greater freedom to think outside the square.

Perhaps we are simply re-affirming centuries old Buddhist beliefs!

The solution?

Taking five minutes to calm your breathing and clear your mind of any trivial concerns allows you to open up your mind to focus on the task at hand. This can simply be achieved by closing your eyes and focusing on three deep breaths. Or by taking a simple bathroom break or  a short walk outside to help clear your mind from the fogginess.

Some simple meditation can help you start the day with clarity and freedom for creativity. You might just find that work life becomes a lot easier and that corporate ladder becomes that much shorter!

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5 Tips On Dealing With Burnout

This article is the final edition of our series on Workplace Burnout.

This week we share our strategies on dealing with burnout.

If you feel that your work has got you in a state of chronic stress, it is time to act. Our tips can be implemented into your every day routine to regain control of the stresses of your job to help you function at your best.

1. Recognise and manage the stress contributing to burnout:

Reflect and identify on what it is that is making you feel stressed and overwhelmed at work.You might like to write a list of all of the things that make you feel stressed on a given day. From there you might be able to see there are things that can be adjusted to make your word day less chaotic. It might be as simple as allotting certain times to check emails,  to minimise feelings of being overwhelmed and distracted by having them constantly pop up on your screen. Alternatively, it may be that you can delegate certain tasks if you feel it is the sheer amount of work that is making you feel burnt out.

 2. Schedule “You-Time":

Pencil in you diary time for yourself and stick with it. Managing burnout needs to be as important as any other meeting or appointment. Make this a time in your week spent on an interest that helps you ‘wind-down’ – something that you find rewarding and really enjoy. You might like to see this as reward for all of your hard work.

3. Be your own best friend:

Think about the advice you would give a loved one who was experiencing the same situation of burnout. What would you say to them? It would probably be along the lines of, “Make sure you are taking care of yourself.” More specifically, this advice may pertain to getting enough sleep, eating well and making time for exercise and relaxation. You want this for those dear to you, so make it happen for yourself.

 4. Make work-life balance more than just a myth

Many people see work-life balance as a distant, unattainable concept. This doesn’t have to be the case. When considering working overtime for the 4^th time this week, taking work home with you or skipping that lunch hour, saying “no” does not make you a bad employee. Overcoming burnout and having a healthy work-life balance will see you become a more productive worker and extend the longevity of your career. Taking regular breaks and not working too many hours are crucial in recovering from chronic work stress.

 5. Socialise & Seek support

Rekindle friendships and relationships that have fallen detriment to the stages of your burnout. Be open and honest about how you are feeling with co-workers, management and your social supports outside of work. You can also  talk to a professional to help you manage your burnout. Your company’s EAP service or your GP are good places to start. Or call Beyond Blue’s Support Service on 1300 224636. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Click here to read part one of our burnout series, 4 Signs You Might Be Burnt Out 

Reassessing your work life balance to rejuvenate your energy

When you feel as though your energy levels are drained in the workplace, it may be a good idea to check in on your work-life balance. While achieving an optimum work-life balance may seem like a wishful dream in wonderland – you are not alone! Here are three steps you can follow that will help you get closer to that seemingly elusive dream-like state of equilibrium in a way that doesn't have to leave your work output in deficit.

Firstly, RECOGNISE the symptoms

If you feel as though you are:

• Experiencing a lack of sleep because you are busy thinking about the tasks you have to complete at work the next day.
• Experiencing a loss of energy in the workplace and an apathy towards your work
• Overwhelmed by your tasks at work when you begin the day or return from your lunch break
• Procrastinating more than you should be (keeping in mind that often any procrastination is too much when it comes to the workplace…)

It may be an indicator that you need to reassess your work-life balance.

Secondly, REASSESS your goals

When you find that your work-life balance is out of line, it is important to ask yourself why this is the case. This will help you re-discover what is important to you and will help you re-gain sight of the bigger picture. Placing your work into perspective can often help if you feel overwhelmed. Additionally, you may re-discover the reason you have been pushing yourself so hard in the first place. This can often serve as a great source of hidden motivation that could push you over the finish line. When re-assessing your goals, it is important to consider where you are now; where you would like to be, and what you need to do to get there. It might feel a bit odd at first, but it can pay off to list these details down in a document or spreadsheet. It is always easy to let some demotivating tasks get neglected - until they become a pattern with no solution. So, keep your eye on the prize of your career and personal goals.

Finally, TAKE ACTION!

• Make necessary changes to your schedule and reprioritise tasks that need to be done in terms of what you need for yourself. Assess what extra tasks are created as a result of mismanaged resources.
• If you suspect that there is a misallocation of resources - begin a discussion with your manager that you believe the misallocation of resources is causing distress and has lowered productivity (just be sure to have a sound solution!)
• Reflect on your personal well-being and think strategically about how this affects your productivity.
• Improve the quality of your “down-time” while you are away from work will help manage your productivity while you are in the workplace. It is important to take time out for yourself … even if that means going for a walk around the block without your phone during your lunch break.
• Always be sure to look back at your original goals, and compare it to how your workplace responsibilities have changed and how that affects your personal life.

If you are still finding it difficult to achieve motivation despite work changes, balance alterations and discussions with management, you could have a career mismatch. Trudging through a field that never suited your personality in the first place will almost always end in low productivity, low satisfaction, burnout and worse. One way to be sure that you’re in the right field or studying the right course is to take a psychologically backed careers test. This weighs your values and attributes to define what career course best suits your abilities and fundamentally, who you are.