After parenting and managing people for a decade, I’ve learned a thing or two about presence.
Whether it’s listening to my kids tell me for the fifth time which street they would take to school, or ensuring I don’t have a million devices and/or windows open in a meeting to keep my day straight, presence ensures I’m listening in the moments I need to be. It’s about releasing any judgment on myself and avoiding thoughts that bring me to the past or future.
With May being Mental Health Awareness month, we figured we’d share 11 proven mindfulness hacks that can help you maintain that presence in and outside of work.
1) Schedule yourself, then work.
One piece of advice that stood out to me from former first lady Michelle Obama when attending her book tour was to: Schedule yourself, then your work. Simple, yet brilliant.
I’ve stopped feeling guilty about my midday workouts or scheduled lunch duties at my daughter’s school. I schedule me first, then layer work on top. And the best part is, it all gets done — and I feel like I’m putting the right priorities first.
2) Don’t dwell on the past.
It’s easy to get caught up in bad hires that were made or past recruiting decisions.
According to BBC’s Lab UK and the University of Liverpool rumination, or obsessing on the past, is the biggest predictor of the most common mental health problems in the country.
Instead, keep your eyes ahead and in the moment. Ask yourself: ‘What are the roles that need to be filled today and how can I learn from my mistakes to ensure good hires get made?
3) Challenge yourself to try something new.
New sources for hires lead to more diverse work cultures. Spend time looking and opening up ideas to other areas that you could and should be hiring from.
As it relates to tech talent, target good schools for early-career talent as well as other large companies that have launched programs to train skilled workers.
Many marketers I’ve worked with, come from big advertising agency backgrounds and good engineers may come from well-known tech giants. Game plan with your hiring manager to think outside the box and continue to push yourself to think of new sources.
4) Save (don’t hoard) your top recruiting tips.
Hiring is certainly a team sport. The more you are willing to share your tips and tricks with the rest of the recruiting team, the more likely they will share with you.
LeverTRM makes it easy to share email templates that have gotten high open rates as well as nurtures that are working, including how many emails it takes to recruit strong talent. Encourage sharing across the team and a collaborative culture as it relates to hiring.
5) Take time to breathe.
I often find this one hard no matter how many times my Apple watch pings me to breathe throughout the day. Whatever your routine is, though, take time to focus on your breath. I often find that car rides or meetings are the perfect place to tune in and breathe a little more.
Is active breathing a part of your regimen? Are there alerts you could set to breathe throughout the day to improve your presence?
6) Meditate once a day (or week).
Clearing the mind can be a daunting task, so I started small a few years ago with the mindfulness app Headspace (which just happens to be an awesome Lever customer).
Guided meditations between meetings can ensure you’re able to go the extra mile as it relates to recruiting. Try as many recordings as you can.
Emmet Miller’s tapes (for me) are also good. Now that my brain is programmed to calm down the second these tapes go on, listening for a few minutes can calm the most stressful moment.
Another incredible device that my colleagues at Lever turned me onto was Hatch. I use it to wake to the sound of the waves in the morning and fall asleep to a light meditation instead of my usual TV routine.
7) Spend less time on social media.
A new study published in the Journal of Depression and Anxiety found a link between high usage of social media sites and increased depression.
The research, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), involved nearly 1,800 individuals and tracked their usage of 11 well-known social media platforms. The study found that those that used social media were 2.7 times more likely to be depressed than those participants who used social media the least.
Stop comparing yourself to your peers’ best moments. We’re all human and physical connections rooted in reality can mean so much more. Ensure you are not recruiting solely based on a resume or profile. Hire for growth, potential and culture-add.
8) Tune into recruiting news that fosters growth.
Look and subscribe to recruiting news that helps you keep up to date on the latest trends. Some good outlets might include:
- Recruiting Brainfood
- Recruitment Buzz
- HR Technologist
- Recruiting Daily
- Shortlist
- Recruiting Brief
- SHRM HR News
- BenefitsPRO
- Employee Benefits News
- HR Dive
9) Support your hiring managers.
Include hiring managers in the whole recruiting process to ensure you hit the mark when it comes to qualifying candidates. Scope out the roll and get feedback forms on time.
It’s also important to determine the stages and qualifications needed for each role to ensure everyone is on the same page and adapting to remote interviewing and positions.
10) Listen to inspiring recruitment podcasts.
A recruiting team culture of learning ensures that everyone comes to the table without ego. If you’re always learning, it means no one knows more than everyone else. Have teammates share in meetings a good podcast or a thing they learned each week from a podcast.
Some good recruiting podcasts include:
- Redefining HR by Lars Schmidt
- Recruiting Future by Matt Adler
- The #SocialRecruiting Show by Katrina Collier & Glenn Martin
- The Recruiting Brainfood Podcast by Hung Lee
11) Get into nature whenever you can.
Last but not least, get into nature. Be sure to breathe in a beautiful hike or spend some time at the beach listening to the waves or even hit the snow.
Being in nature is proven as the best way to maintain presence in the coming year.
According to ScienceDaily, living close to nature and spending time outside offers significant health benefits, including reducing risks for type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, preterm birth, stress, and high blood pressure.
Final thoughts: The meaning of mindfulness
Being mindful allows you to focus on the present, and also turn attention to your thoughts and feelings without judging them as good or bad.
When mindfulness gets away from us or we get caught spiraling in the past or future, it’s easy for time to pass by and we miss the moments that matter. Be present to engage with strong talent and crush your hiring goals.
Talent leaders: Learn how you can effectively check in with the mental health and wellness of your recruiting staff and discover tips to help manage your team’s stress level.