AFTERNOON MEDITATION to MAXIMIZE PRODUCTIVITY & EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS: Recharge Your Mind & Enhance Focus in Just Minutes
- Rogers Research Global
- Mar 6
- 9 min read
Updated: Mar 8
Written by: Marie T. Rogers, MPS, Ph.D. RYT
Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It’s a way of entering into the quiet that’s already there – buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day. -Deepak Chopra
In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven world, it’s common for professionals to feel swamped by an ever-increasing workload. Bombarded by interruptions throughout the day from notifications, pings, and vibrations emanating from digital devices, we barely can settle down and approach a task long enough before becoming interrupted. Too many find themselves chronically racing against the clock to meet deadlines, handle e-mails, and manage projects. In the chaos of daily responsibilities, self-care and well-being can take a backseat.
Executive Function Fatigue (EFF)
Dysregulated, distracted, and disconnected, we have fallen into habits that reinforce this unhealthy lifestyle, leading to executive function fatigue (EFF), a term I coined after noticing an accelerating trend in clients who are being referred for mental health services.
In order to accomplish great things, discerning between productivity and busy-ness is crucial. Productivity requires clarity and focus, while busy-ness does not. Busy-ness generally has no substantive end -goal in sight.
Focus, an important mental asset, is directed attention. In our ever growing complex and distracted world, our ability to focus is diminishing dramatically, and this is affecting learning and retention of material, deep thinking, and problem solving.
The skills required for planning, organizing, paying attention, focusing, critical reasoning, decision-making, following sequential directions, regulating emotions, and managing impulses are interconnected, complex and coordinated, and are referred to as executive functioning. They are your control or supervisory center, located within the frontal and prefrontal lobes of your brain, representing a fairly large area consuming approximately 1/3 of the brain’s cortical geography. It is this structure within the brain that plays the most critical role in the success or failure of your endeavors.
Attention, focus, patience and discipline are executive functioning facets that correlate with success. Executive functioning is enhanced through healthy living. What's good for the body tends to be good for the brain. A regular meditation practice is a critical element to a healthy lifestyle. Simply speaking, we can't be "on" all the time!
What Can Help?
In the midst of a stressful workday, removing yourself (even if for a few minutes) from the chaos to engage in any of the following activities can significantly reduce stress and feelings of overwhelm:
Breathwork Exercises – A few minutes of deep breathing (e.g., box breathing or 4-7-8 breathing) can quickly calm the nervous system.
Mindful Walking – A short, slow-paced walk (even around the office) with attention to each step and breath can refresh the mind.
Desk Yoga or Stretching – Simple neck, shoulder, and spine stretches can release tension from long hours of sitting.
Gratitude Journaling – Taking a few moments to write down three things you are grateful for can shift your mindset from stress to positivity.
Listening to Soothing Music or Binaural Beats – A few minutes of calming instrumental music can reset your focus.
Visualization Exercises – Imagining a peaceful setting or a positive outcome for the day can enhance emotional resilience.
Aromatherapy – Using essential oils like lavender or peppermint can create an instant sense of relaxation at your desk.
And, to get back to the intent of this article, MEDITATION!
Taking a few moments in the afternoon to meditate can surprisingly boost productivity and enhance mental health. The regular practice of meditation, in its many forms, provides long lasting benefits to the mind and body, including increasing volume in brain regions, reducing anxiety and depression, and improving executive functioning. The benefits are achieved in as little as 10 minutes per day; a nanoscopic investment in time as compared to its return on investment. Think of it as scheduling a daily "time-in" on your planner.
You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. Unless you're too busy, then you should sit for an hour. -Zen Proverb
5 Benefits of an Afternoon "Time-In"
1. Enhanced Mental Clarity
Taking a short break improves mental clarity. Neuroscience research shows that after extensive focus, our brains can become cluttered.
A 20-minute session of meditation can clear out that fog, leading to better concentration. Imagine coming back to your work with a sharper focus and the ability to more easily tackle complex tasks.
2. Improved Stress Management
Stress can significantly impact mental and physical health. By carving out meditation time , you will help regulate cortisol levels, which in turn, help to reduce anxiety. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone that plays a fundamental role in the body. Produced and released by the adrenal glands, which are found on top of each kidney, this essential hormone has been labeled the "stress hormone" suggesting a negative connotation to its existence. While occasional stress and anxiety are normal parts of life, persistent and uncontrollable levels eventually become disabling.
All of us experience periods of stress from time to time as we journey through life. Stress is meant to be temporary, but for many it has unfortunately morphed into a lifestyle. Initially, it was subtle. Over time, stress created habits that became counterproductive to good health and energy.
3. Increased Creativity
Creativity not only pertains to the arts and design, but also to effective and productive problem solving and business development. Great parents, teachers, and leaders use creativity in their management of the home, classroom, and work environment, respectively. Creativity often suffers when work becomes monotonous. A quick afternoon meditation can rejuvenate your mind and open it up to new ideas.
Solving a challenging problem whose solution has long eluded you or developing a novel or innovative idea, service, or product that brings value to others are additional examples of creativity in action. Stepping away from your work for a moment can lead to innovative solutions to ongoing challenges and it can help reduce feelings of burnout.
4. Better Physical Health
Your physical health can deteriorate due to stress and long hours of sitting. Regular meditation as an afternoon break can serve as a remedy. For example, even short meditation sessions can reduce tension headaches and lower blood pressure significantly. When your mind feels calm, your body tends to respond positively. This leads to improved energy levels and overall health.
5. Improved Work-Life Balance
Finding balance between work and personal life can be challenging. Afternoon meditation can help you set aside time for self-care in your hectic schedule. Dedicating time to yourself reinforces the significance of balancing professional responsibilities with personal well-being.
How to Implement an Afternoon
Meditation Practice
There are many different types of meditation, mostly falling under the categories of guided and unguided (or silent) meditations. There is not a universally accepted or “best” method, but there are components to meditation that are consistent across practices. They include:
Focused attention
Breath awareness
Quiet and comfortable setting
Attitude of non-judgment or "observer"
The main difference between a guided and silent (or unguided) meditation is the presence of external instruction versus a self-directed practice. With GUIDED MEDITATION, you are provided with verbal instructions, visualization cues and/or body awareness guidance. Often, these recordings encompass background music and/or soothing sounds of nature.
Popular themes include, but are not limited to, relaxation & stress relief, mindfulness & awareness, self-compassion & emotional healing, spiritual & transcendental, and manifestation & visualization. Specifically related to self-compassion, which can be defined as being kind and tolerant with oneself and a propensity toward self-caring, Gutierrez-Hernandez et al. (2023) conducted a study whose aim was to establish the efficacy of a 30-day program comprising daily guided meditations followed by self-inquiry on reducing psychological distress and increasing well-being. Pre-post results analysis revealed the efficacy of this program demonstrating relief of emotional distress, such as anxiety and stress. However, the results were not maintained at follow-up leading the researchers to conclude "the need for regular practice to maintain the benefits obtained."
Actively engaging in rituals of self-care and self-compassion is not a one-time event but an ongoing practice that must be woven into your daily life. Authentic self-care is not something you check off a to-do list and forget; it is a continuous commitment to nurturing your well-being. Just as you would nourish your body with food or strengthen your muscles with regular exercise, tending to your emotional, mental, and physical needs requires consistent and sustained effort and intention.
There are countless apps (Insight Timer, Calm, Headspace) and online resources offering guided meditation sessions tailored to relaxation. Take some time to find one that suits your style. Look for options that last between 5 to 30 minutes so they fit easily into your afternoon break.
I would like to recommend the LIFE IN FOCUS Podcast--> The Neuroscience of Meditation: Your Relaxation Journey.
With SILENT (UNGUIDED) MEDITATION, there is no external voice or guidance and the meditation practice is completed in silence or perhaps with ambient sounds. Many will experience this type of meditation as more challenging.
Getting Started
Starting a meditation practice should not be complicated. A quiet place and a comfortable seat are all you need to begin this practice.
Sit or lie comfortably.
Focus your attention on your breath and on how your body moves with each inhalation and exhalation.
Breathe naturally.
Notice when your mind and thoughts wander and bring your attention back to your breath.
Set a Schedule
Consistency is crucial for forming a new habit. Keep in mind:
NEURONS THAT FIRE TOGETHER,
WIRE TOGETHER!
The more you engage in an afternoon meditation practice, the stronger this behavior (and habit) will become. Before long, you will find yourself looking forward to your afternoon mind & body restorative break in your day that you will no longer even have to think about how and when you will be fitting it in. Aim to set aside the same time each day. By scheduling it, you will find it easier to commit to this self-care ritual.
Reflect and Adjust
After a couple of weeks, reflect on your experiences. Grab a journal and jot down your thoughts to these questions:
How has my meditation practice helped?
Have I been feeling more focused?
Has my stress level decreased?
Based on your observations, feel free to adjust the duration or type of guided meditation to better meet your needs.
Leading By Example
For those in leadership roles, perhaps you can be instrumental in inspiring and encouraging your team to take advantage of this mind and body restorative practice. Great leaders lead by example, and incorporating a 20-minute guided meditation into your daily routine can set the tone for a more focused, resilient and engaged team. Greater focus, resilience and engagement also translates into a healthier workforce. How? Organizations that prioritize engagement and well-being initiatives tend to foster a healthier, more energized workforce with fewer sick days and higher motivation and performance.
By prioritizing mindfulness, you signal to your colleagues and staff that mental clarity and well-being are essential for peak performance. Invite and encourage others to join you in this practice; whether by offering a dedicated time for group meditation, sharing resources, or simply normalizing mindful moments of pause throughout the workday.
When leaders embrace mindfulness, it creates a ripple effect, fostering a workplace culture that values balance and well being. Incorporating a meditation practice into the workplace will likely lead to a team that feels calmer, more motivated, focused, energized, and highly productive.
Embrace the Power of Afternoon Meditation
For busy professionals navigating the demands of work life, dedicating time to afternoon guided relaxation meditation can be life-changing. It enhances productivity while improving mental clarity, reducing stress, and increasing creativity. Investing in this practice is not just about fostering better work output, but also about taking good care of yourself. Future you will thank you for starting this ritual.
What if, on a particular day, you just do not have the luxury of 20 minutes? Can anything help? How about 1 minute? Here's the good news! Even if you gave yourself a 60-second break by watching a calming video (such as the one below), you will still derive benefits.
Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can. -A. Ashe
Life will always bring challenges, transitions, and stressors, making it essential to maintain and adapt your self-care rituals over time. These practices are not just for moments of crisis or burnout but should become a steady, grounding force in your life. By committing to lifelong self-care, you cultivate resilience, deepen self-awareness, and create a foundation of inner balance that supports you through all stages of life.
Incorporating guided relaxation meditation into your daily routine may just be the secret to becoming a more effective, healthier, and happier professional.
Maximizing productivity isn’t only about working harder; it’s about working smarter and more strategically in order to maximize your work-life balance and your mind-body connection.
This combination will result in a healthy work-life/mind-body integration.
Remember: SELF-CARE = SELF-RESPECT
Reflect on the following:
How can I bring greater calm to my day today?
How will I love myself just a little more today?
How do I wish to experience this day?
The information presented in this blog is intended for general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical/health or professional advice or treatment. As with most things in life, there isn't a magic pill or "cure-all" but there are strategies to help regain control of your life.
REFERENCE
Gutiérrez-Hernández, M. E., Fanjul Rodríguez, L. F., Díaz Megolla, A., Oyanadel, C., & Peñate Castro, W. (2023). The Effect of Daily Meditative Practices Based on Mindfulness and Self-Compassion on Emotional Distress under Stressful Conditions: A Randomized Controlled Trial. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 13(4), 762-775. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe13040058
YOU ARE INVITED TO LISTEN TO THE LIFE IN FOCUS PODCAST ON APPLE AND OTHER STREAMING DEVICES.
ALL BOOKS BELOW ARE AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
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