Productivity—it’s the buzzword of the day. There are productivity apps, productivity books, and productivity podcasts. The productivity gurus shill productivity tools meant to boost your output, your throughput, your everywhere-a-put-put. Those gurus have the answers, and they’ll tell you all about them for $9.99, for a retweet, for a like on Instagram. But how often do you hear these gurus discuss the power of silence?

We live in a world of constant noise—cell phones dinging, computer popup notifications, 24-hour news cycles, which is to say nothing of the endless chatter of the daily meetings. What does that noise do but distract us and beg for our attention. What does it do but constantly pull us off task? This endless noise keeps us in the constant churn of stress. It ramps up our anxiety, or at least that’s what the experts say. And in those stress cycles, in the endless hum of anxiety, can we be our most balanced, most productive, most whole selves?

I can’t.

Months ago, I read a book by Justin Whitmel Early entitled The Common Rule. In that book, he shares how the noise of life led him headlong into unmanageable anxiety and the panic attacks that come with it. And though he came up with several strategies to deal with that anxiety, among them was carving out brief moments of silent reflection at work. How did he do it? He closed his office door, got on his knees, and paused for a few minutes of prayer. As he instituted daily silence into his routine (among other things), he found relief from the daily panic.

I’m no productivity guru. I couldn’t shill product for $9.99 instructing you how to make the most of your day. But if I’ve learned anything on my own journey through nagging anxiety and into inner sobriety, it’s what Justin learned: You can’t be your most productive, creative, assertive, whole self when the overwhelming anxiety sets in. And you can’t break those cycles of anxiety without a break from the noise of the day, particularly the office noise. But how do you do it?

How to Incorporate Silence Into Your Workday:

Carve out 7 minutes sometime in your workday (losing 7 minutes won’t kill you; I promise).
Close the door to your office, or if you’re in a cubicle, find a quiet place—a stairwell, a bathroom stall, whatever.
For seven minutes, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Push out any thoughts by listening to the sounds of your own breath. Focus on how your body feels. Is there pent up anxiety? Are your nerves on fire? Is breathing difficult?
At the end of those seven minutes, take a deep breath, whisper a prayer, and go back to your day. See if the practice of silence doesn’t bring some stress relief.
Do this for one week, and at the end ask: Has the practice of silence in the office made me better, less stressed, more creative, and more productive?

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Take a chance on waking up.

My next book, The Book of Waking Up: Experiencing the Divine Love that Reorders a Life is available for pre-order NOW. (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) It’s a book that explores true, inner sobriety, and how to attach to and adore Divine Love. Pre-orders are vital to the success of a book, so please do not wait. Order today. And if you do, let me know via email. I’ll send you a sample along with the 3-part video series that gave rise to this book!

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