Why you should give the gift of mindfulness this New Year
Jeremy David Engels, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Penn State
The start of another year can feel magical to many of us. Even though the days remain short and dark, the flip of the calendar can make it seem new beginnings with new resolutions are possible.
Mindfulness scholars and teachers like me call resolutions “habit breakers,” as they can overcome patterns that no longer serve individuals. However, research suggests that many resolutions fail by the end of January.
But a key to ensuring that resolutions stick is to choose one that will make a meaningful difference in your life. Seeing a real, tangible benefit can provide inspiration to keep going when all of life is telling us to let things go back to how they were before.
Living more mindfully is a common New Year’s resolution. This year, try gifting it to others.
The practice is based on an insight first described by ancient Buddhist texts that human beings have the capacity to observe experience without being caught up in it. This means, simply and wonderfully, that it is possible to observe ourselves having a craving, or a happy thought, or even a scary emotion, without reacting in the moment in a way that amplifies the feeling or sends the mind spiraling off into thinking about old memories or anticipating events.
This practice can help calm the mind and the body as we learn not to react to experience with likes and dislikes or judgments of good and bad. It does not make us cold or apathetic but more fully present.
Mindfulness in a distracted world
One of the challenges of practicing mindfulness in our contemporary world is that there has been a profound transformation in human attention. The artist Jenny Odell argues that in our “attention economy” human attention has been transformed into a commodity that big corporations buy and sell. This economy rests on a technological revolution of mobile phones and social media that makes it possible for corporations to reach us with content that can capture and monetize our focus, at every moment, every day, and no matter where we may be.
The needy little devices most people carry in their pockets and wear on their wrists, incessantly beeping and buzzing and chirping, are a perpetual diversion from the present moment. The result is that it can feel as though our ability to focus, and be fully present, has been stolen.
But mindfulness can help us resist the attention economy and savor the things that make life special, like being together with those we love.
The gift of mindfulness
While most mindfulness research focuses on the individual benefits of the practice, scholars like me argue that we not only practice mindfulness for ourselves but that we can also practice it for others. It can help us build stronger, healthier relationships.
The sad truth is that living in the attention economy, most of us have become bad listeners. However, just as it is possible to watch ourselves having an experience without reacting, it’s possible to watch another person have an experience without getting tied up in reactivity and judgment. It’s possible simply to be present.
The gift of mindfulness is a practice of listening with compassion to another person describe their experiences. To give this gift means putting away your phone, turning off social media, and setting aside other common distractions. It means practicing being fully present in another person’s presence and listening to them with complete attention, without reacting with judgment, while resisting the urge to make the interaction about you.
It is not a gift that you will wrap, or put inside a card; it’s not one you will have to name as a gift or draw attention to. It’s something you can do right now.
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Jeremy David Engels does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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Second brains, mind maps, and other organizational strategies to unlock creativity
Little Pig Studio // Shutterstock
For many of us, marketing emails are reminders to unsubscribe rather than take advantage of whatever massive savings they promise. Getting rid of the email flood might not just declutter your inbox: It could make you more creative. That's because decluttering—your bedroom, living room, home office, or inbox—is a well-documented way to unlock your creative potential.
Freeing up your physical space also makes room in your head for more creative ideas. While clutter is often associated with more creative minds, research shows actual creative work is more productive in organized spaces. To share innovative ways to tap your best work, Assembly compiled a list of organizational strategies to boost creativity from expert sources.
Little Pig Studio // Shutterstock
For many of us, marketing emails are reminders to unsubscribe rather than take advantage of whatever massive savings they promise. Getting rid of the email flood might not just declutter your inbox: It could make you more creative. That's because decluttering—your bedroom, living room, home office, or inbox—is a well-documented way to unlock your creative potential.
Freeing up your physical space also makes room in your head for more creative ideas. While clutter is often associated with more creative minds, research shows actual creative work is more productive in organized spaces. To share innovative ways to tap your best work, Assembly compiled a list of organizational strategies to boost creativity from expert sources.
Second brains, mind maps, and other organizational strategies to unlock creativity
Canva
There are eight types of journals that may boost creativity, according to Kaiser Permanente. You can write about dreams, food, fitness activities, the day's events, or your to-do list. You can sketch things you've seen and ideas you've had, write freely in a stream-of-consciousness journal, or reflect on the things, people, and things that inspire a feeling of gratitude.
Each of these can boost creativity in different ways, including improving your writing skills and recording moments of inspiration. They can also help clear your head and process thoughts and feelings, which lets you concentrate on other topics—including what you're going to create next.
To start journaling, buy a notebook, and write without stopping for a set amount of time each day. Don't forget to date each entry, so you can see how you, and your ideas, have changed over time. You can also find inspiration by reading the journals of respected artists or writers, such as Frida Kahlo or Sylvia Plath.
Try out the Bullet Journal method of layering multiple types of journaling on top of each other to avoid losing track of your ideas and plans.
Canva
There are eight types of journals that may boost creativity, according to Kaiser Permanente. You can write about dreams, food, fitness activities, the day's events, or your to-do list. You can sketch things you've seen and ideas you've had, write freely in a stream-of-consciousness journal, or reflect on the things, people, and things that inspire a feeling of gratitude.
Each of these can boost creativity in different ways, including improving your writing skills and recording moments of inspiration. They can also help clear your head and process thoughts and feelings, which lets you concentrate on other topics—including what you're going to create next.
To start journaling, buy a notebook, and write without stopping for a set amount of time each day. Don't forget to date each entry, so you can see how you, and your ideas, have changed over time. You can also find inspiration by reading the journals of respected artists or writers, such as Frida Kahlo or Sylvia Plath.
Try out the Bullet Journal method of layering multiple types of journaling on top of each other to avoid losing track of your ideas and plans.
Second brains, mind maps, and other organizational strategies to unlock creativity
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
Mind mapping, showing connections between different ideas, is another strategy to help boost creativity. It might spark new ideas or just a new understanding of long-studied concepts, according to a 2018 study in the Classroom Action Research Journal. Mind mapping takes you out of linear thinking, freeing you to jump to other ideas and connect them.
Mind maps can add another dimension to regular note-taking. You can build mind maps for individual projects or as your primary note-taking technique.
To build a mind map, start with a central idea in the middle of a piece of paper. Then write down and connect other related ideas or subtopics from what you already know. Do more research into the topic and add what you learn. Continue tying ideas together and labeling new elements that form part of the picture. What you make might look like a mess, but it will offer a fresh perspective that can spark new ideas and reveal connections and ways of thinking that might surprise you.
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
Mind mapping, showing connections between different ideas, is another strategy to help boost creativity. It might spark new ideas or just a new understanding of long-studied concepts, according to a 2018 study in the Classroom Action Research Journal. Mind mapping takes you out of linear thinking, freeing you to jump to other ideas and connect them.
Mind maps can add another dimension to regular note-taking. You can build mind maps for individual projects or as your primary note-taking technique.
To build a mind map, start with a central idea in the middle of a piece of paper. Then write down and connect other related ideas or subtopics from what you already know. Do more research into the topic and add what you learn. Continue tying ideas together and labeling new elements that form part of the picture. What you make might look like a mess, but it will offer a fresh perspective that can spark new ideas and reveal connections and ways of thinking that might surprise you.
Second brains, mind maps, and other organizational strategies to unlock creativity
FellowNeko // Shutterstock
You might have found yourself wishing for a second brain to keep track of everything you're supposed to know, deal with, and remember. With some effort, you can build one for yourself—on the internet, not in a lab.
A second brain, formally referred to as a personal knowledge management system, helps boost creativity by storing your existing knowledge outside your first brain, freeing up the gray matter to go beyond recording and retrieving information. It's different than simply going to Google or other sites every time you want to find something because it's built specifically for you.
Tiago Forte, who invented the second brain concept, suggests his method of storing your personal information will allow you to: "find anything you've learned, touched, or thought about in the past within seconds ... [s]ave your best thinking, so you don't have to do it again; ... [and] turn work 'off' and relax, knowing you have a trusted system keeping track of all the details."
The best systems for second brains include multiple organizational methods, storage for different media types—including voice notes and photos, and desktop and mobile versions.
FellowNeko // Shutterstock
You might have found yourself wishing for a second brain to keep track of everything you're supposed to know, deal with, and remember. With some effort, you can build one for yourself—on the internet, not in a lab.
A second brain, formally referred to as a personal knowledge management system, helps boost creativity by storing your existing knowledge outside your first brain, freeing up the gray matter to go beyond recording and retrieving information. It's different than simply going to Google or other sites every time you want to find something because it's built specifically for you.
Tiago Forte, who invented the second brain concept, suggests his method of storing your personal information will allow you to: "find anything you've learned, touched, or thought about in the past within seconds ... [s]ave your best thinking, so you don't have to do it again; ... [and] turn work 'off' and relax, knowing you have a trusted system keeping track of all the details."
The best systems for second brains include multiple organizational methods, storage for different media types—including voice notes and photos, and desktop and mobile versions.
Second brains, mind maps, and other organizational strategies to unlock creativity
Jenn Huls // Shutterstock
Outlining what you're going to do and how you'll do it gives your brain more room to be creative. Business coaching service Lucemi Consulting supports setting goals because it helps increase focus and motivation while boosting productivity.
Setting goals may offer more time for creative thinking or projects, according to a 2022 academic study. Researchers found that an individual is able to engage with more creative thinking when a specific goal is laid out, whereas they can be distracted, be less creative, and go down unproductive rabbit holes without one.
Improving your focus makes you more creative by giving you deadlines and measuring your progress.
Outlining what you're going to do and how you'll do it gives your brain more room to be creative. Business coaching service Lucemi Consulting supports setting goals because it helps increase focus and motivation while boosting productivity.
Setting goals may offer more time for creative thinking or projects, according to a 2022 academic study. Researchers found that an individual is able to engage with more creative thinking when a specific goal is laid out, whereas they can be distracted, be less creative, and go down unproductive rabbit holes without one.
Improving your focus makes you more creative by giving you deadlines and measuring your progress.
Second brains, mind maps, and other organizational strategies to unlock creativity
Vadym Pastukh // Shutterstock
Sensory overload can cripple the flow of ideas and slash productivity. Decluttering can help foster creativity.
Whether you declutter your physical or digital workspace—like those unread browser tabs or your notes—these efforts can reduce the mental load you spend on finding and remembering things. That frees up time and brain energy to get stuff done.
Marie Kondo, a leading expert in decluttering for optimizing creativity, recommends discarding anything that does not "spark joy" and organizing what little remains in a clear, functional way. That means paying attention to where an item is placed in a room or digital space to ensure it leaves a clear space for creative thinking and action.
The key to addressing clutter, ultimately, is up to you. Creativity coach Beth Ann Dailey recommends not keeping more than you need nor getting rid of more than you're comfortable with—some people function well in a bit of chaos, so Dailey suggests finding what works for you.
This story originally appeared on Assembly and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Vadym Pastukh // Shutterstock
Sensory overload can cripple the flow of ideas and slash productivity. Decluttering can help foster creativity.
Whether you declutter your physical or digital workspace—like those unread browser tabs or your notes—these efforts can reduce the mental load you spend on finding and remembering things. That frees up time and brain energy to get stuff done.
Marie Kondo, a leading expert in decluttering for optimizing creativity, recommends discarding anything that does not "spark joy" and organizing what little remains in a clear, functional way. That means paying attention to where an item is placed in a room or digital space to ensure it leaves a clear space for creative thinking and action.
The key to addressing clutter, ultimately, is up to you. Creativity coach Beth Ann Dailey recommends not keeping more than you need nor getting rid of more than you're comfortable with—some people function well in a bit of chaos, so Dailey suggests finding what works for you.
This story originally appeared on Assembly and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
The late Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh leading a meditation walk. Steve Cray/South China Morning Post via Getty Images
The constant need to be checking our phones keeps us from being fully present. Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Little Pig Studio // Shutterstock