An Introduction to Mindfulness: A Must-Have Legal Life Skill

In recognition of Well-Being Week in Law, which takes place May 4-8, 2026, BARBRI is highlighting tips and ideas to help those in the legal profession become more aware of mental health and improve well-being this week and throughout the year. 

What do you think of when you think of the word “mindfulness”? For many busy professionals in the legal industry, it may seem like fluff, too time-consuming, or difficult to learn, or just not for them. But you should think about it differently and embrace it as a legal life skill!  

The SkillBurst, a BARBRI company, Well-Being module, “An Introduction to Mindfulness: A Must-Have Skill for Success,” explains how the benefits of mindfulness are significant and can lead to improved concentration, working memory, decision-making, productivity, resilience, self-regulation, interpersonal communication, and even the quality of relationships.  

Understanding Mindfulness 

When you find your mind wandering, you aren’t alone. According to one study, we spend 47% of our waking life thinking about doing something other than what we’re doing. That’s no surprise, though. Our brains have evolved to operate that way. The brain’s “default mode network,” which is responsible for planning, daydreaming, assimilating, filtering information, hypothesizing, and imaging, is active during most of our waking hours. These functions are valuable and necessary. But too often, the default mode network distracts from the here and now. 

And that’s where mindfulness comes in. Through mindfulness, you can train your brain to deviate from the default network, tune out distractions, and improve your focus more deliberately and effortlessly. 

The Foundation for a Mindful Society defines mindfulness as “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” 

For many of us, choosing to be fully present in this way requires training. It’s like running a race–you can run a race without training, but you won’t be nearly as successful. By training to improve your mindfulness, you can better tune out distractions and have more productive mental energy while minimizing unproductive mental energy, such as replaying a negative experience over and over in your head. 

You might be wondering if practicing mindfulness is complex and time-consuming. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be! Practicing mindfulness is about being conscious, deliberate, and intentional. There are two ways to approach this: formally and informally. Formal practice is about learning basic mindfulness meditation and practicing it regularly, preferably daily. Formal practice can take place at any time, anywhere, and involves focusing the mind on what is happening at that moment.  

You can see benefits by practicing formally for just one minute a day. Not sure where to start? Here are three tips: 

1. Start small. Guided meditations are a great way to begin, and there are many good apps that can help with this. 
2. Make it a habit. It helps to do this at the same time and place every day. 
3. Don’t worry that you are doing it wrong. Perfectionists may struggle with this, but there is no single right way to practice mindfulness. 

And if you’re looking to practice informally, keep these five ideas in mind: 

1. Start your workday by establishing intention. Before diving into your inbox, take a moment to think about your priorities and how you intend to “show up” for yourself and others. Then, take a pause during the middle of the day to reflect on whether you are acting consistently with that intent. 
2. Establish informal cues that prompt you to direct your attention. For example, when the phone rings, take a breath before answering and then direct your full attention to the conversation.  
3. Notice when your attention wanders. Drifting off doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t paying attention. It could be that an idea was sparked in your mind, and you’ve started to pay more attention to that idea than to the person in front of you. It happens to the best of us. And when it does, take note of it and bring your attention back to the person you are talking to. 
4. Try something new. When you’re on autopilot, time passes quickly. However, when you are in the moment, time seems to slow down. For example, instead of taking the same route to work every day, try a new one. 
5. Stop and breathe. A lot of mindfulness work involves breathing. When you direct attention to your breath, it induces a sense of both physical and mental calm. Consider the STOP approach: Stop what you are doing; Take a deep breath; Observe your thoughts, feelings, and emotions; and Proceed mindfully. 

Practicing mindfulness doesn’t have to take a great deal of time, but you must be deliberate about it! The SkillBurst series on Well-Being can help.