Pushing yourself to do deep work, or work that focuses solely on one task without interruptions or distractions, is an important part of being productive, but you’ll find that getting into that flow can be surprisingly difficult. For some, it comes easily, but if that’s not you, consider doing some mindfulness exercises to get in the zone. Mindfulness is kind of a buzzword these days, but there’s some solid research showing how it can actually be beneficial when you’re at work. The trick is knowing how to do it and being able to tap into it, even in the office.

There’s enough research to say with certainty that mindfulness meditation improves attention and focus, whether you’re a kid in school or an adult working in the real world. The idea of mindfulness itself can be a bit airy-fairy, all “zen” and “inner peace.” I’m not a “airy-fairy” person myself; I’m much more interested in objectivity, facts, and evidence. The good news is that psychology and psychiatry have shown that mindfulness—basically the ability to be present in a moment and focus on what you need to focus on—is more than just breathing and being spiritual. It’s something concrete and real that has useful applications in treating depression, stress, and anxiety, plus it can be really helpful when you’re feeling overwhelmed and need to ground yourself.

According to the American Psychological Association, this works because your body can respond to stress based on your own thoughts and feelings for a few minutes. The Yerkes-Dodson law is a psychological model that suggests that you need a little bit of stress to perform well, but not too much. So knowing how to regulate yourself is key to staying in that sweet spot and not letting your tension get the best of you.

You’ll find that a lot of research focuses on “mindfulness meditation,” a mental training practice that requires you to breathe deeply and be aware of your body and thoughts. That all sounds complicated and not exactly something you can do in the office, but like progressive muscle relaxation, another de-stressing technique that can improve productivity, it can be adapted and done anywhere without drawing too much attention to yourself. You don’t need candles or singing bowls. You just need adaptable techniques that you can pull out when you need them.