Mindfulness Tools

Mindfulness gets an awful lot of press nowadays. But what does it mean? Is it all about going up the mountain and disengaging with your life?

Not necessarily. This type of awareness means simply being here, being present to where and when you are in the moment. Have you ever had the feeling of being bored in class, daydreaming about anything just to keep from concentration? Well, many of us learn to daydream through life everyday. (It's not totally clear when we learn how to do this. Babies seem awfully in the moment.) And just like you can wake up from your day dream to your life when the bell rings, these practices offer you the chance to wake up from the daydream of how you've been living to your real life. When we engage more deeply with the moment, we can bring a more authentic self to our lives and relationships.

Related tools and resources (stay tuned for more):

If you're interested in a mindfulness 101, check out this page on mindfulness basics.

One tool for mindfulness that doesn't involve formal meditation is making a slight change in how you do your day to day activities.

Another is hacking a particular pedagogical tool to bring attention to certain moments.

One bridge between productivity work and mindfulness practice is time tracking.