Mindfulness Workshop – A Grassroots Approach to Improving Self/Tech Balance

Mindfulness
Workshop
A grassroots approach to
improving self/tech balance

Check-In
What’s one thing I hope
to get accomplished at
today’s workshop?

15 min
15 min
15 min
30 min
5 min
15 min
30 min
15 min
Agenda

Intro
duction
& Goals
There is only so much you can blame on Big Tech. The more
impactful movement should start from the grassroots, led
by us – the users of tech.
Learn how to map out your value system and use it as
guiding framework in decision making. A time to dig deep
and ﬁnd out what you really stand for.
Discover creative ways of gathering data about yourself
so that lessons can be recorded and visualised

entails knowing what is
happening in the present moment while it is
happening. It is a training in how not to be
lost in thoughts, opinions, and reactivity.
It is also a training in how to see things as
they really are, as opposed to seeing them
through the often distorted lens of
preconceived ideas and interpretations.

Mindfulness
vs Meditation
Awareness.
Being tuned in to
what’s going on and
around us, in the now
Concentration.
Setting aside time
to do something
can be applied to
any situation
throughout the day
usually practiced
for a speciﬁc
amount of time

Before
you
begin
Spoiler alert: You may be encouraged to reﬂect on some
of your personal bad habits and fears, know that
unearthing them will be beneﬁcial for yourself as you
learn to tackle them head-on.
You may think to yourself at this point that all is good in
your life, nothing needs to change. However, for the
purpose of the exercise, approach the tasks with the
intention to increase self-improvement.
Lastly, be realistic and analytical about the proposed
solutions to yourself. Visualise any action plan required.

Mindfulness Workshop – A Grassroots Approach to Improving Self/Tech Balance

Shi’s Mindful
Manifesto
1. Set realistic timelines for projects. Imagine the panic mode that I will be in when
there is no more time left for the project.
2. Stop thinking I’m not good enough. Focus on the vast amount of resources and
knowledge I can self-educate online.
3. The next time I feel insignificant, watch a good film or a trashy comedy show. Go to a
concert.
4. Go home, rest and feed the cat, when I’m tempted to go on a spontaneous night out
even though I know I’m tired.
5. Remind myself that the world is way too noisy and good listeners are rare. when I
think I’m good at nothing.
6. Go to a local gig, try a new type of drink. Dance silly.
7. You are not too old to “make it”. Start a new passion project. Continue where you last
left off.
8. Spend your evenings wisely. Only give them to people who uplifts and believe in who
you are.
9. Start a new task only when the one on hand is finished. Breaks are cool. Limit them
to intervals of 15 mins.

Craft your very
own mindful
manifesto.
Step 1
Find your happy place
Step 2
Surface your insecurities
Step 3
Mapping your strengths

1. I think I’m a good listener
2. I enjoy being creative
3. I like to question the status quo, being critical
about my circumstance
4. Generous with gifts
Step 1 – Find your happy place
What I value
What I’m good at (Strengths)
Things that bring me joy
1. Self-reflection.
2. Connection with closed ones.
3. Personal growth (career, handling relationships)
4. Personal ambition
5. Feeding the soul (passion projects, hobbies)
1. Humour. I love a trashy comedy on Netflix.
2. Music. I enjoy going to the occasional live gig or
DJ set.
3. Films. I enjoy watching movies at the cinema.
Shi
Let’s start off with finding out
what makes you happy, what
motivates you, what grounds
you, what are some of your
personal principles.
Take time to think about it,
write as honestly as you can.

1. I tend to do last minute work, even though it can be
properly planned in the beginning. (I never learn) I get
both stressed and inspired by the adrenaline rush.
2. I tend to put myself down when I compare myself to
others as I tend to focus on the things I can’t do or
don’t have.
3. I tend to overthink and worry over things that have
not yet happened as I believe that things will
somehow always go wrong.
Step 2 – Surface your insecurities
What I want to improve on
Fears
Bad Habits (Weaknesses)
What I have control over
Now that we’ve talked about
the good stuff, time to dig
deep.
This sheet should contain
some of the things you’ve had
the challenge of
implementing in your own
life. Be realistic about what
are the things or emotions
that hold you back, your bad
tendencies and what do you
hope to improve on.
1. Productivity. I want to be more efficient in my
tasks, so that I can have enough time for personal
projects and reflection.
2. Self-esteem. I want to improve my self-confidence
and how I present myself to others. I want to feel
better about what I can offer.
1. Getting old. I’m scared sometimes that I do not
have much time to “make it” or be successful
enough.
2. I always have a strong voice within that tells me
I’m not good enough.
1. How I balance work and personal life
2. Time I give to my loved ones
3. Knowledge I can learn from others / the internet
4. How I react to stress and setbacks
5. Solutions to setbacks
6. How I feel about issues

Set realistic timelines for projects.
Imagine the panic mode that I will be in when there is no more time left for the project.
Stop thinking I’m not good enough.
Focus on the vast amount of resources and knowledge I can self-educate online.
The next time I feel insignificant,
watch a good film or a trashy comedy show. Go to a concert.
Step 3 – Mapping your strengths
What I value
Fears
In this step, you will learn
how to find energy and
discipline within yourself to
solve problems.
Please follow the various
colour combinations to piece
together your personal
mindful manifesto.
Imagine you are your own
advisor, write in the tone of
voice of someone you deem
as wise.

Go home, rest and feed the cat
when I’m tempted to go on a spontaneous night out even though I know I’m tired.
Remind myself that the world is way too noisy and good listeners are rare
when I think I’m good at nothing.
Go to a local gig, try a new type of drink. Dance silly.
What I value
Fears
solve problems.
mindful manifesto.
as wise.

You are not too old to “make it”
Start a new passion project. Continue where you last left off.
Spend your evenings wisely.
Only give them to people who uplifts and believe in who you are.
Start a new task only when the one on hand is ﬁnished.
Breaks are cool. Limit them to intervals of 15 mins.
What I value
Fears
solve problems.
mindful manifesto.
as wise.

Step 1 – Find your happy place
What I value
Let’s start off with ﬁnding out
what makes you happy, what
motivates you, what grounds
you, what are some of your
personal principles.
Take time to think about it,
write as honestly as you can.
My name, a nickname, a GIF that represents me List at least 2-3 personal values. what grounds me
List at least 2-3 strengths, can be anything you feel good
about
List at least 2-3 things that would make good rewards

Step 2 – Surface your insecurities
Fears
Now that we’ve talked about
the good stuff, time to dig
deep.
This sheet should contain
some of the things you’ve had
the challenge of
implementing in your own
life. Be realistic about what
are the things or emotions
that hold you back, your bad
tendencies and what do you
hope to improve on.
What are some things I’ve been trying to work on. List at least 2-3 fears, insecurities, things that hold me back
What are some of my tendencies or bad habits What are some things I know for sure I can control

Focus on one thing you want to improve on
What is a possible consequence for your bad habit
Address your fear
What is something actionable I can do to reduce that fear
Address your bad habit
What is a possible reward if I do the opposite
What I value
Fears
solve problems.
This template is designed to
guide you in piecing together
your personal mindful
manifesto.
Refer to Step 1 and 2 to
remind yourself of the notes.

What do I need to do to make things better
What is the scenario one of my bad habits would show
One of my greatest strengths
One of my worst habits
Make this a fun one. What would make me really happy?
What I value
Fears
solve problems.
mindful manifesto.
as wise.

One of my fears
What is a strength that I can use to counter that fear
What do I value
What is one thing I need to stop doing
I want to work on….
What do I need to do to achieve that goal?
What I value
Fears
solve problems.
mindful manifesto.
as wise.

My Mindful
Manifesto
1. Manifesto One
2. Manifesto Two
3. Manifesto Three
4. Manifesto Four
5. Manifesto Five

Scenario 1
Dependency Model
Scenario 2
Ownership Model
What I feel
like doing in
a day
What I think
I do in a day
What I
actually do
in a day
What I
resolve to
do in a day
Traits
____ Repeating mistakes
____ Shifting blame
____ Self-victimisation
____ Backlogging resolutions
____ Low self-discipline
Traits
____ Growth mindset
____ Emphasis on what I have control over
____ Grounded by values
____ Measured consumption
____ Wary of distractions

A lot of people feel like
they lack motivation,
when what they really
lack is clarity.

Habits are the
compound interest of
self-improvement.

Step 1
Diagnose the problem
Step 2
Identify sources of data
Step 3
Applying the Ownership Model
How might we
get more data
about ourselves,
in order to learn
more about
ourselves?

Step 1 – Diagnose the problem
Referring back to one of the
exercises on the previous
activity on Surfacing Your
Insecurities, zoom in on

Step 2 – Identify sources of data
Take time to brainstorm on
different ways of tracking
data, with the intention to
identify patterns and gather
lessons.
Ponder upon:
get more data
about ourselves, in order to
learn more about ourselves?
What kind of experiments could
you run for yourself to ﬁnd
those data?
Think around the different areas you can derive
data from, for example -
- Technologies (phone, laptop, GPS etc)
- Existing Services (Spotify, food delivery app,
Google calendar)
- Scenarios (in a ﬁght, work meetings, social gatherings)

Step 3 – Applying the Ownership Model
This step can be done slightly
later on, ideally after a
substantial amount of data
has been collected overtime.
This model should guide you
in synthesizing the data in
order to gather lessons for
improvement.
When ﬁlling up
“Implementing a new
system”,
try to think of something
really
,
i.e “Use the phrase “Yes and”
or “I wonder” the next time I
critique someone’s work”

Check-Out
What is one thing you
are going to change
about your habits?

Mindfulness Workshop – A Grassroots Approach to Improving Self/Tech Balance

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