I was on the phone with a business contact discussing a project.

He apologized for being slightly late for the call and told me it was because he'd just cut himself with a kitchen knife that morning - and not only that, he'd actually cut himself twice, in the space of a week - on the same finger. He said he felt tired, like he was rushing around on autopilot.

He acknowledged how much time and energy he seemed to be wasting on simple tasks like chopping vegetables - all because he was tired, distracted and rushing. He could see it was taking longer to get things done, because he was rushing through his day.

So how does mindfulness help?