Interview with Nieves Rodríguez: the role of Mindfulness in the Workplace

We interviewed Nieves Rodríguez, expert coach in Mindfulness applied to the world of work.

Mindfulness, or Mindfulness, is a set of practices inspired by meditation and although they were developed as a form of therapeutic intervention, in recent years its use has expanded to many other areas due to its effectiveness and versatility.

That is why, at present, there are many companies that take advantage of the potential of Mindfulness to promote optimal ways of working, enhance habits that serve to improve performance and comfort in the work context, and to promote a good organizational climate.

In this case we interviewed a person with a lot of experience in adapting the use of Mindfulness to the world of organizations and companies, the coach Nieves Rodríguez.

Interview with Nieves Rodríguez: how Mindfulness is used to help professionals.

Nieves Rodríguez is a personal and executive coach, as well as an expert in Mindfulness and other forms of intervention related to personal and professional development. From her platform FasTrackToRefocus she promotes initiatives such as the "8 weeks live program: Mindfulness at Work", an online course with live sessions that starts on November 4, 2020. In this interview he talks about how Mindfulness can bring benefits to the world of business and professionals.

How would you describe Mindfulness?

It is an ancient technique based on mindfulness. The objective of Mindfulness is to train our attention, observe and be aware of what is happening in the present moment in order to choose our next steps and avoid autopilot.

But there are many definitions of this ancient technique, and although it is true that it comes from Buddhism and was initially used in the personal sphere, today it is used in various non-spiritual and professional fields.

What distinguishes Mindfulness from the general concept of "meditation"?

Meditation is a form of Mindfulness, but there are many other forms of Mindfulness.

We can practice Mindfulness in any activity we are doing, and that's the beauty of Mindfulness, it doesn't take time and it doesn't cost money. You can do it walking, exercising, working... It is a skill that we all have but that we have stopped using due to the culture of "always being connected".

In your opinion, what is it that has made Mindfulness has gone beyond the field of psychotherapy and is also applied in the professional and business context?

Stress is considered the disease of the 21st century. It affects almost 25% of workers and the percentages continue to rise, especially in this time of uncertainty where it has also increased the demands of teleworking and being connected 365 days a year, every day of the week and almost 24 hours a day.

This "always-on" culture has put our attention at risk. Multitasking used to be considered a strength, but it is now becoming a weakness in a professional, and of course in the home environment.

We have constant interruptions, unrealistic deadlines, video calls, incessant emails that make our mind jump from one task to another without achieving mindfulness, and therefore with a very limited ability to focus that leads to errors or even mental blocks.

How does mindfulness help to boost productivity at work?

Researchers have shown that multitasking is the worst possible reaction to information overload. Because truly when we jump from task to task due to lack of attention, it gives us the feeling that we do more but we do less and worse.

Mindfulness helps you to be aware and focus on the tasks that are important by doing them with higher quality by being present and attentive. It is a state contrary to the multitasking caused by the addiction to action that is being created in many work environments, which makes you do things not because they are important but because "they make you important, or feel good".

When performing a Mindfulness session at a time when we are affected by high levels of work stress, what happens in the mind that allows us to regain a proper emotional balance?

Our mind has a great ability to go into the past or into the future. We ruminate and sabotage ourselves for things that have already happened in the past or we worry about things in the future that are not real. What mindfulness allows is to be aware of the present. Stress can have many causes, and one of the main causes is worrying about what might happen. What is out of my area of control.

It is stress that activates our 'flight or fight' reaction to defend ourselves from danger. And having this constant reaction causes us to suffer from stress over something that hasn't even happened.

With mindfulness we learn to collaborate with our mind and be present. Being aware of the present and creating a space to observe and evaluate our next moves. It allows you to see options and make choices from a space of greater awareness.

And what are its long-term positive psychological effects, if Mindfulness is practiced regularly on a daily basis?

Thanks to Mindfulness, companies and employees get multiple benefits: stress reduction, development of emotional intelligence, better time management and priorities, increased concentration, creativity and general well-being, which helps reduce sick leave.

As we can see, positive effects on both our personal and professional lives.

From what you have been seeing, are there specific profiles of professionals for whom Mindfulness is especially beneficial?

It can be especially beneficial for leaders and entrepreneurs because of their profile of responsibility, but today Mindfulness is beneficial for any person and professional, as we are all impacted by the large volume of interruptions and lack of attention.

What is the main objective that you have proposed when devising the 8-week Mindfulness at Work program, in terms of the benefits it can bring to participants?

On the one hand, to demystify the concept of Mindfulness, remove the baggage of spiritual practice and create an awareness in the company to take care of its employees, since they are its best capital.

And for any person and professional, to help them to introduce mindfulness in their daily life, reduce autopilot and thus be able to manage more consciously the demands of work. My goal is to share mental techniques that you will be able to introduce in any area of your life and also super simple techniques to have mindfulness to manage the workday, emails, meetings, goals set, changes, communications, video calls, creativity, interruptions, etc.. In each session we will introduce techniques that you will be able to put into practice and see the results immediately.

Nowadays Mindfulness is a skill that any professional must have in order to be successful personally and professionally. Instilling that less is more. Less but better. People who attend this program will have quantitative results such as clarity, greater focus and effectiveness, as well as a higher quality of life, less stress and improved well-being.