In high-pressure HR environments, it’s easy to mistake activity for progress. We rely on things like reorgs, systems, and meetings to solve problems, but often they only mask what’s brewing beneath. Stillness isn’t laziness; it’s diagnostic. I think, based on my own observations, that corporate America views busyness as a badge of honor. Our calendars are full, we often engage in shallow work with minimal time for deeper work. Our work culture is inherently broken. We have meetings that could be e-mails and we have people vying for our attention for what should be a non-issue. 

There is a lack of understanding and empathy for each other’s time. Given the global nature of many workplaces, there are time zones to manage and people justifying absurd meeting times due to the needs of the business. That dehumanizes the workplace. Yes, there are business needs to consider ensuring work is completed but there is an epidemic of unrealistic expectations for the timeframe in which work is completed. So many things seem to need immediate attention when they really could wait a day or two. 

Given this, it is difficult to prioritize tasks, meaning people are multi-tasking and trying to accomplish many things at once. This also makes it difficult to enforce boundaries. In many workplaces pushing back on timeframes or asking to reprioritize workload may be perceived as not being a team player or inability to manage your work according to expectations. 

This is not an exhaustive list of things that happen in the workplace that contribute to the lack of deep work and busyness. There is so much more. But for the purpose of this post, I’ll leave it with that because I could keep going on. 

All this to say that we need to find stillness at work. Constantly going from task to task does not allow the brain to reset itself or adequately get to a place where your brain processing power is ready for the next task. We need to have time in our day devoted to longer stretches of time to just sit with a task and know that we have time dedicated just for that task. 

When we take time to just be, to feel, and lean into stillness, we open the ability to notice tension, resistance, and even truth. We need time to process. The need to process is not a weakness. Stillness is how we can see the forest through the trees. We are often so close to our work that we can’t see the larger picture. Many roles, especially those in leadership and HR positions, are intended to be strategic; but how can you be strategic if you’re constantly ping ponging between emails, chat messages, and other things trying to get your attention. 

There are so many books out there speaking to deep work, flow state, and more. But why do these (many) well-researched go unheard, unseen, and otherwise ignored? Why do CEOs not see the problem? It seems that businesses are fine with just throwing money at the issue of productivity, burnout, etc. without considering the underlying root causes. 

Consider taking time throughout the day, maybe 3 times a day, to block your calendar for 10 minutes. Lock your computer and silence all notifications. Take a deep breath in through your nose and open your mouth and sigh it out. Then seal your lips and take three deep breaths in and out. Breathe deeply into your belly as much as into your chest. Fill the cylinder that is your torso. We have so much capacity for breath, so take in three deep breaths. Try to extend your exhale with each breath out. Now resume your natural breath and allow yourself to notice your body. Where is there tension? Where can you find softness? Can you bring some space between your back teeth, relaxing your tongue? Now that you’ve taken time to listen to your body, what is coming up in your mind? Where are your thoughts going? 

As you resume your work, take a moment to ask yourself, how can I listen to what others are truly saying? This includes what is not being said. With some newfound clarity, can you decide where you need to focus your time and what can wait? Can you make sure you are putting your energy toward things that ultimately serving your needs and goals? Can you try to see the larger picture, the forest through the trees? 

It can be source of strength to take time for stillness. The clarity you stand to gain from a regular practice of stillness could vastly improve your ability to work with others. You’ll start to notice patterns, noticing when others may need time themselves for stillness. You’ll notice when you need to take up someone’s time and when you don’t. It could fundamentally shift the way you work.