Zen and the Workplace: Getting In the Zone

Written by Jason Shields

All of us at one time or another have experienced being “in the zone” where the activity we are doing appears effortless and yet our concentration is intensely focused on the act itself like a laser beam. Whether you are swimming, running, playing an instrument or are engaging in creative writing, you have experienced the feeling of the activity being effortless, as if you could do it forever. You have, in essence, become one with the activity. You are no longer doing it, you are the activity itself. This same idea can apply to any and all forms of work, even boring, menial tasks that we dread performing.

When I speak of being “in the zone” I am referring to being in a state of “no-mind”. “No-mind” is a term used in Zen Buddhist practices to describe a mental state of seeing past the limitations of thinking and feeling. Remember this: when there are no distinctions, there are no difficulties. When you are in a state of “no-mind,” your thoughts and feelings will not get in the way between you and the work you have to do. In “no-mind,” you lose the ego, the part of you that identifies with all of the labels we attribute to ourselves and others and things. It is impossible to hold on to all of those thoughts and feelings that you have about yourself when you are completely focused on what you are doing at this very moment. Basically, you become your doing and you escape from the labels you have created for various things, including yourself.

When you learn to let go of all of your preconceptions and assumptions about yourself, your love life at the moment, your occupation, etc., you will find that your mind begins to expand. All of a sudden, you have more room up there and that room can become very helpful when it comes to concentrating and learning to immerse yourself in your work. For example, you have a project deadline at the end of this week. As you are working on this project, are you constantly worrying about the other two projects that are due in a couple of weeks? Or what about the other projects that you have not finished or are overdue? Worrying and constantly thinking about everything at once accomplishes nothing with regards to the task at hand and prolongs your anxiety.

Learning to focus on the work at hand, whether it is dish washing or solving a physics problem, is the best way to do your work better. Along with this focus, your efficiency also naturally increases. When you teach yourself to focus to the extent that your self dissolves and is absorbed by the work you are doing, this is when you achieve “no-mind” and you become one with your work.

When you busy yourself with worrying about what others in your company are thinking, or about what your boss may or may not do if you do not perform “correctly” or this or that, etc., you are missing the whole point of life. What you are looking for, what you desire is all around you, indeed, it is within you. Always has been and always will be. Stop looking into the future or searching the past for the answers to your problems which are in the now! Every step of life is an effort, both physically and spiritually because you imagine that your goal is something external and distant.

When you learn to concentrate so completely that you and your work become one in the same, barriers and difficulties in your life dissolve. Become the work and the work becomes you; there is no conflict and no difficulty. Remember, becoming absorbed in your work places no importance on any specific kind of work. In the practice of Zen, any type of work becomes worthy of total absorption, even if it is cleaning out the garage or giving your dog a bath.

In some jobs, there is little to be desired or considered worthy of being in total absorption, especially when your boss acts like an ass or you have coworkers consistently gossiping about one another. You may even feel that you are the small fish in the big pond. Shift your perspective and consider thoughtfully and purposefully how you contribute to the whole of the organization, even if you are currently the janitor or mail clerk of a major corporation. Do not stop there! How does your work relate to the world itself? Go beyond the company and into all of the other companies that yours conducts business with on a daily basis. Everything in this world is connected and no part is greater than another. You are needed in the job you have now, even if it is a job you detest. Once you accept it, learn to become absorbed in your work, you will find that your mind is open to new possibilities and opportunities either in the company or in another field altogether.

Part of “no-minding your own business” is to accept your given responsibilities as they are in your job. Accept them fully without second-guessing, without feeling critical, or living in some future thought world you mind has conjured up: “as soon as I get done with such and such, I'm leaving!” I am not suggesting that you become complacent or a robot. It means doing your job and letting all of the rest go! You will not get there overnight! It will take time and effort on your part to sit still each day and meditate on the Now. You have to train your brain and your body to sit still and just BE. This is the ultimate Zen training for work! The longer and more often you meditate, the more the peace and nonjudgmental acceptance will spill over into your work life.

Namaste!