Puttering and Mindfulness
Did you ever catch yourself in the middle of a workday looking for something, perhaps in a desk draw, then stopping to clean out and rearrange that draw’s contents? Did you think while doing it you were wasting time?
Quite the contrary. You were puttering. And experts say that such wandering around doing this and that is a form of mindfulness and it’s healthy for our brains and our physical selves.
Harvard psychology professor Ellen Langer describes mindfulness as the simple process of noticing new things, which puts us in the present and makes us more sensitive to context and perspective. Rather than being a form of meditation, mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and aware of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and environment without judgment.
Enter puttering. Jeff Bezos starts his day puttering. He sips coffee, reads the newspaper, and has breakfast with his kids before they leave for school. He claims that his morning routine allows him to clear and center his mind so he can make high quality decisions during the day.
Think about your own normal workday which could be crowded with to-do lists, emails needing a response, or project deadlines. Does it leave much room for reflection or creativity? How productive are you (can you be) if you are constantly time-crunched? Are you putting your best efforts forward?
But wait! If you stop to clean out that desk draw—or a kitchen draw if you work from home—aren’t you being distracted from your work? Not really. Taking that break turns off the pressure to get things done and leaves room for ideas to form. Contrast that with the texts that beep across your phone asking you to do something inconsequential—like the one that beeped at me a few minutes ago while I was focused on writing this post. That’s distraction!
Puttering is positive. It allows you to accomplish something in a focused manner. The desk draw is now better organized so you won’t waste time the next time you go to look for something. There’s control which can reduce stress and be calming.
The challenge: Consider ways that puttering can be part of your day as a way to destress.
Doing the dishes
Watering plants
Cleaning out draws
Staring out a window
Straightening a picture on the wall or dusting the frame.
These need not be things confined to the time you’re in the office. Creative ideas aren’t restricted to time and place. Don’t plan a puttering activity. Let it happen spontaneously and appreciate the small pleasures it brings in the moment.