What is presence status and how can it help increase your team's productivity?

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We created this content to help you better understand what the state of presence is all about. Then, we will see that this condition can also help us today, especially in the work context, to increase the productivity of a team without generating more stress and anxiety.

Originally associated with meditation techniques and especially yoga , the fusion database state of presence is a state of alertness. Being present means being in the here and now. That is, having your thoughts focused on the current place and experience.

To illustrate, think about how many times during your work routine you go through moments of distraction. You are in a meeting and looking at your phone at the same time, or writing an email and you don't define what you want to say, because you are preoccupied with other things that have nothing to do with what you are doing.

The relationship of the mind with time
Time, in fact, is a fundamental factor in human life, and human beings generally organize it into three moments: past, present and future.

On the other hand, the human mind cannot stop – at least under normal conditions – thinking. So, the relationship between mind and time is the following:

When we think, we usually place the thought at one of the temporal points.

Anxiety or uncontrolled thoughts, for example, are related, among other things, to an important factor which is the passage of time: the past and the future.

In that sense, we often focus more on the past or the future than on the present.

It is not a problem to remember the past or to project or idealize the future. However, past and future are time frames over which we have no control, and we can only act in the present.

If you're part of a sales team , for example, and you have a goal to achieve by the end of the month, obsessing over the goal isn't going to help you achieve it. What will help you are practical actions such as:

call potential customers.
Schedule meetings.
Send emails and do what we have to do, that is, the possibilities of the present.
Reconciling with the past
The past is everything you have ever lived. We don't necessarily have to have a negative attitude towards that time.

On the contrary, much of what we are today has been created in the past, based on lived experiences, acquired knowledge and made decisions.

Now, it is also true that negative experiences can bring back negative memories.

In this sense, reconciling oneself with one's own history can be a source of fulfillment and existential independence, although it is not an easy path to undertake.

A good way to look at the past is to interpret it as a source of learning. If you did not achieve your sales goal last month, this is a good time to evaluate the reasons that led to this situation.

Some questions can help: What did you do well that can be used to your advantage? What did you do wrong, among the things that were under your control, that you can change?

The state of presence allows you to deal with these circumstances, helping you to place yourself in the present moment, in which it is possible to act.

Anxiety
On the other hand, the state of presence is also one of the keys to overcoming another problem that is so common these days: anxiety.

Anxiety is a response to a stimulus, it is an adaptive reflex in the face of a danger that arises.

Everyone experiences anxiety, because it is a natural reaction. It is also important because it works as a survival mechanism to resolve situations that require responses.

Now, what dangers do we face in our work? The main ones have to do with not knowing whether we have enough capacity to do what we have to do.

But that is not a big problem when we look at it from the perspective of the state of presence, because if we do not have knowledge, we have to do something that we can control: dedicate ourselves to study.

When we are in the here and now (state of presence), we do not let ourselves be dominated by thoughts of anticipation. For this reason, living in this state is one of the keys to learning to manage anxiety.

The state of presence to live in fullness
From the moment we are born, the repetition of certain activities creates a deep-rooted habit that ends up being executed automatically. Brushing our teeth, bathing or eating, for example, are examples of these habits.

These habits are not necessarily negative. However, they can become harmful when we do them without awareness and when we do not assume responsibility for them.

One of the main advantages of living in a state of presence is the discovery of things that we hardly see when we are in a hurry. When we focus on the present, we admire everything through the eyes of consciousness.

We begin to feel, for example, many more emotions than we would ever feel before, we notice more subtle energies and perceive details around us that used to go unnoticed.

The state of presence also helps us to fully experience our relationships with the people we meet, because it leads us to be more attentive to what they have to say to us with their words and gestures.

All of this allows us to have healthier interactions in the family and at work. In this sense, by exercising in the here and now, we can turn work team meetings into more pleasant spaces.

One of the ways to get the most out of face -to-face or online meetings is to predict the agenda in advance and avoid mixing up too many topics, since a person cannot maintain full attention for very long periods of time.

We are more productive with the state of presence
When we talk about a state of presence or mindfulness, we are encouraging ourselves to get out of that internal disconnection and live a life based on consciousness, in the here and now.

This state is the key to achieving the focus so necessary for studying or increasing productivity at work, for example.

Indeed, as we have seen, we can only act in the present moment, since we have no direct control over the past or the future.

How to apply presence status at work?
Contrary to what we might imagine, the state of presence is not something natural, and to achieve it we need to practice, just like when we want to develop a new skill.

Fortunately, there are some tips that can help us:

1. Practice conscious breathing
It is impossible to talk about a state of presence without saying something about breathing. Curiously, this is one of the most important activities of our body, but it is also one of those we are least aware of.

Breathing is an almost invisible act, yet it has a profound impact on concentration. Therefore, allowing yourself to live a few moments to fully concentrate on the process of inhalation and exhalation can provide good results in the short term.

Conscious breathing is simple: just focus on feeling the air filling and emptying your lungs.

Over time, you can focus on diaphragmatic breathing, which involves breathing by contracting the diaphragm. This is a muscle located horizontally between the chest cavity and the abdominal cavity. Air enters the lungs, the chest does not rise, and the abdomen expands during this type of breathing.

2. Develop concentration
Some people are more comfortable multitasking. However, we cannot say for sure that multitasking is synonymous with being a more productive person.

In fact, it may be the opposite: too many stimuli and thoughts can hinder productivity, so it's best to focus on one activity at a time.

Some tips to help you focus on one specific task at a time are:

Have a list of tasks to do.
Keep open in the browser only the tabs related to the task you are performing.
If you need to stop or change tasks, observe what you are doing to be aware of when it is best to resume.
3. Avoid distractions as much as possible
You already know that distractions are a constant. That's why it's a good idea to disable notifications on all devices before starting to work on an important task.

Take time during your day — perhaps one in the morning and one in the afternoon — to read emails and make any necessary calls.

Being away from your phone or computer for longer can also help your brain get used to having periods without these distractions. This makes it easier to experience a state of presence.

Conclusion
Living in a state of presence involves having your mind attentive to the activity you are doing at the present moment. In other words, it is about training yourself to dedicate your attention to what you are doing right now. This way, you will be able to achieve better results in your daily activities, since you will direct your concentration.

What did you think about this opportunity to practice a state of presence in order to deal more calmly with professional routines?

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