I am too busy and too stressed. There are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all the things I would like to accomplish. Do you ever find yourself thinking or saying these things? I know I do. If you’re anything like me, you understand that it’s often difficult to slow down and reassess. To separate your must-do’s from your, “I would like to do! ” If you’re honest with yourself, you probably never even make it to your “I would like to do! ” Or if you do make it there, you might get stuck there because you’re avoiding your must-do’s.
Why is it so difficult to find that sweet spot that would allow us to do all we planned to do during our 24-hour day, including our must-do’s and the things that bring us joy! Wouldn’t it be great to find even just a few extra minutes in our day? Well, not only can you find time to do little things that will guide you to less stress, more peace, and mindfulness but, you can do it in as little as 10-minutes a day.
Be Mindful of Your Efforts
Finding time to focus and prioritize the things that matter most takes some thought and planning, but you can do it. Your journey toward transforming your life begins with mindful living. Living with intent. Mindfulness is a great way to reduce stress and increase awareness. When you practice mindfulness, you intentionally pay attention to things for the sake of noticing every detail without judgment.
For example, if you’re taking a “mindful” walk around your neighborhood, you might notice the greenness of the grass, the warmth of the sun, a new crack in the sidewalk, or a new spring bloom in your neighbor’s yard. By noticing these things without distraction, we can reconnect with a greater source, a source bigger than us. A source that isn’t driven by to-do lists and deadlines. We may at least, at that moment, experience a sense of awe.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is being alert to the experience of what it means to be alive at this very moment in time. Mindfulness is not about perfection, but it is about accepting that imperfection is the norm. Life is unpredictable, and it helps if we live in the moment, the here and now. Dr. Patrizia Collard says that mindfulness is “a new way of being a new way of experiencing life… ” In her book titled The Little Book of Mindfulness, she suggests that by practicing mindfulness for 10-minutes a day, we can reduce stress, increase productivity, and live a more balanced life.
Mindfulness is such a critical skill that it is used as a therapy technique. Thousands of research articles on mindfulness are available. Several books and popular articles are available, and several organizations offer mindfulness training. A Google search of the term mindfulness returns 63,800,000 results across a range of resources. Mindfulness is rooted in Buddhist and Tibetan traditions and is typically practiced using meditation. Mindfulness exercises not only result in structural changes in the brain but also contribute to better physical health.
Beginning your Transformation: Be in the Present
Your transformation begins with being in the now. Being in the now creates space for you to think about what you can and cannot accomplish as part of your to-do list. If you’re living in the now, you’re more likely to be realistic about what’s possible in the future. I know it sounds like a paradox, but it makes sense. If you’re thinking about impending deadlines, all the possibilities available to you, you’re likely creating a mountain of things to do. Things that you’ll never get around to doing.
If you’re living in the moment, you’re more likely to focus on things that enhance and add value to your life instead of things that drain your energy and take away from your life. Your mind is more clear and decluttered. As a result, you make better decisions.
Being in the present allows you to experience a state of flow to be more receptive to new ideas and opportunities. Things will often fall into place naturally, and when they don’t, you’re better prepared to handle the unexpected because you’re centered and focused on the present.
Prioritize Your List
Although work-life balance is important, it is often impossible to truly balance the things on your to-do list. According to Merriam-Webster, one definition of balance is to bring into harmony or proportion, and another is to equalize in weight, number, or proportion. Balance then indicates a sense of equality, all things being equal.
If you take a look at your to-do list, there are likely items on your list that are more important than others. There are some items you can complete quickly. In contrast, other items require more time. Some things listed are things you’ve never done before, so you have no idea how long it would take you to complete them.
Carole Gaskell, author of Your Pocket Life Coach: 10 Minutes a Day to Transform Your Life, suggests that we prioritize our most important tasks to make the best use of our time. Like me, Gaskell believes that the best way to tackle enormous projects or huge lists is to break them down into small, manageable tasks. Not only do the most successful people start their day early, but they also focus on priorities to help make the best use of their time.
Organization is Key
Organize your tasks so that you make efficient, effective use of your time. Prioritize those tasks that give you the most benefit. Doing so will boost your confidence and increase your enthusiasm for moving to the next thing on your list. Manage your time, don’t let your time manage you. It’s recommended that you start with your least favorite task. However, I am a rebel, and I typically go against the grain. Starting with my most pleasing task gets me going and gives me the focus I need to move to the tasks I’m not as excited about.
Each week I make a list, I number the items on my list according to importance, and I cross things off as I complete them. Whatever I don’t get to for the week gets moved to the next week. This is something that works well for me. If you want to go one step further, you can pick your top three items from the list and create a plan of action for completing those items. Be sure to reward yourself for any amount of progress you’ve made. Find victory in the small wins.
Know your Productivity Cycle
Are you a lark or an owl? Early risers are referred to as larks, and those who are at their best later in the evening are referred to as owls. Which one are you? Research tells us that we are most productive according to our circadian rhythm. Our bodies roughly synchronize with the 24-hour cycle of the day. If you’re a morning person, you might find that it’s helpful for you to complete your most challenging tasks first thing in the morning when you’re at your peak performance level. Of course, the opposite is true for those of you that work better later in the day or evening.
The most important thing is that you know what works best for you. It’s okay and typically normal for your productivity cycle to vary. I tend to be most productive Monday through Thursday mornings and Saturday evenings. Yes, you read that correctly, Saturday evenings. No, I do not have a life! However, during weeks when I have back-to-back meetings, I need downtime in between, so my productivity cycle varies during those weeks.
Mindfulness: 10 minutes a day to Transformation
How can you create mindfulness habits that will lead to less stress and allow you to make better use of your time? You can commit to making changes. You can organize and prioritize to gain focus and make the best use of your time. Take just 10-minutes out of your day to intentionally do something beneficial for you or someone else. You’ll find that it will make a big difference. Start your day with at least 7 – 10 minutes of mindful meditation. Or end your day with quiet time if that works better for you.
If you have 30 minutes for lunch, spend 20 minutes engaging in mindful eating and 10 minutes taking a mindful walk. If you have a 15-minute break, take 5 minutes to engage in a focused breathing exercise. The remaining 10-minutes can be spent mindfully holding a conversation or listening to a few minutes of your favorite podcast.
The possibilities are endless. The key is to live with intent. To live moment-by-moment. To realize that you hold the power to transform your life. Five minutes here, ten minutes there, little by little. The race of life is a marathon, not a sprint. Distance runners pace themselves to achieve endurance. Whether you pace yourself or not is up to you, but remember, whether big or small, a victory is a victory just the same!
What are some things that you can do to practice mindfulness and begin to transform your life?
I would love to hear from you. What mindful practices do you find useful? Do you practice self-care? If you don’t practice mindfulness, did this article inspire you to start? Drop me a line in the comments!
