How daily meditation focuses my approach to work

Growing up in a middle-class suburb, as one of 2.2 kids with a small yard and white picket fence, I always thought meditation had something to do with voodoo.

With Dragon Ball Z responsible for nearly 100 percent of my exposure to Eastern philosophy, I assumed the only people who meditated were bald, shirtless men who sat cross-legged, burning incense and moaning tonelessly before turning into a Super Saiyan.
Now I meditate nearly every day, at least once.
I often start the day with it. Each day, the alarm goes off at 7 a.m., which is the cue for my roommate and I to drag ourselves into the kitchen, where we sit at the table for a morning session. We are not cross-legged, there is no incense and we are wearing shirts. In fact, to complete the transformation from ancient ritual to millennial chic, we are using an app to guide us (Headspace, in our case, though there are others, such as Calm).
This sets the right tone for the day. No longer am I standing in the shower, unable to remember if I’ve already washed my back because I was too busy freaking out about the 45 things I need to do today for my company. Instead, I am calm. Focused. My thoughts are clear and priorities manageable.
This relaxed focus bleeds into the rest of the day, increasing my output. When that feeling starts to fade and the productivity-deafening buzz of late afternoon clouds out any semblance of clear thought, I can refocus just by taking 10 minutes to sit down, close my eyes and get some headspace.
So if you were skeptical of meditation, like I was, I suggest giving it a shot.
Download one of the guided meditation apps you can find in your local app store, and sit down for ten minutes, once a day, for a week. You won’t be chanting mantras, you don’t have to sit cross-legged and incense is optional. And if you turn into a Super Saiyan, let me know, because then I’m clearly doing it wrong.