Lost Phones, Forgotten Keys, and the Magic of Mindfulness

According to Merriam-Webster:

Mindfulness 1: the quality or state of being mindful

2: the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis

---

Everyone talks about practicing mindfulness. What does that mean when it comes to your business?

You hear about mindfulness in everyday life- being present and noticing what’s happening in the moment. But translating that into how you run your business?

That’s where the real power lies.

The Cost of Not Being Present

Take my husband for example. I love this man, and he makes me laugh, but he’s a classic case of being notmindful. One morning, he was looking for his keys, but his mind was focused on the consequences of being late. I watched him step over his keys- twice- before I handed them to him.

He loses his wallet, his money clip, and his work ID, not because he is careless, but because not fully there in the moment. To his credit, now that he realizes the patterns, he’s making a conscious effort to practice mindfulness more often.

I do the same thing. I lose my phone when I’m not being mindful. Lately, it’s been happening more than usual. I could blame the new foster dog- bringing a new dog into the house requires extra attention. But really? It’s a sign that I’ve let go of the discipline of being present, of managing the mental load I’m carrying.

When Mindlessness Impacts Your Business

Losing my phone isn’t just an inconvenience- it affects my business. I don’t use desktop notifications because they’re distracting, so all of my business notices go to my phone.

I’ll hear notifications pinging but can’t remember where I last had my phone.
Was it when I put the dogs out? When I was in the garden? Coming back from a walk? I was thinking about what I was going to do next while glancing at notifications.

The result? Five minutes before a call, I’m running around the house, stressed and flustered. Not the energy I want to bring to my business.

Mindfulness Is Noticing When You’re Not Focused

Mindfulness means recognizing when you’re out of alignment- when you're pushing through instead of flowing through. It’s that moment you realize you're struggling and, rather than plowing ahead, you pause.

The pause is powerful. It’s where you choose to shift your energy: take a five-minute walk, play with the dogs, close your eyes, and breathe. Whatever helps you realign. Because when you don’t pause? You use more energy to create something that’s not nearly as good as it could have been.

Manage the Nagging Tasks

Mindfulness means addressing the tiny, nagging tasks that whisper in the back of your brain. Productivity specialists say if something takes less than two minutes, just do it.

It takes more mental energy to ignore that little voice than to complete the task and move on.

I keep a list just for those types of to-dos. When I’m deep into a project or on a call and one of those tasks pops up, I jot it down. That alone lets my mind relax so I can stay present.

Honoring Your Energy = Better Business

Staying mindful helps me avoid getting hangry (yes, it’s real), lets me take care of the dogs before a Zoom call, and prevents frustration from building. As I write this, my feet were freezing- so I paused, put on socks, and now I can focus again.

It even saves me money. I love a shiny new business tool, but mindfulness helps me recognize when I’m tempted by a novelty instead of a need. The tool I already have works perfectly well.

The Practice is the Point

So what does mindfulness look like in the moment? It’s taking a breath. And another. It’s scanning your body for discomfort or tension. It’s looking out the window, seeing the beauty outside, and giving yourself permission to step into it for five minutes, knowing you’ll return more focused.

When I ignore my mindfulness practice, I find myself blaming work for the fact that I haven’t gone on a walk, spent time in the garden, or moved my body. I blame distractions like the AC repair guy (who called four times!)- when really, I’ve stopped being present.

It’s a practice. Not a perfect. And when I return to it, everything flows with more ease

Speaking of which… I’m hungry.