Today I’m officially one week into my 12 habits in 12 months challenge.
So far I’m going strong on this month’s new habit of daily meditation. And I had better, because I lose 20 bucks for every day that I miss.
I already have a host of other things I do habitually, such as post on No Boss Ninja 3 times a week, teach piano, and all of the normal items you might imagine in daily life.
Still taking only 15-20 minutes a day of my time every day is teaching me a lot about myself.
Routines Count
If I’m going to stick with this 12/12 challenge, I’m for sure going to have to get better at sticking to structured routines.
The problem is that I tend to handle new tasks as “just another thing” on the to-do-list. So often, it might be 5 or 6 in the evening and I’ll think “Oh crap I have to meditate today”. This doesn’t exactly lend itself to zen-like tranquility. In fact, on at least a day or two I’ve had to break the meditation into two parts (10 minutes in the morning and 5-10 at night) to meet my daily quota.
So, whether I like it or not, it seems like strengthening my morning routine might be a necessary ingredient for success.
Motivation
So far, my meditation-motivation has been high. In part I credit this to the accountability system I’ve put in place for myself. There’s also not too much struggle from my subconscious, since meditation is already something I enjoy on a fairly regular basis.
Still, there were a few “bad” meditation days, where I felt fidgety and whatnot.
Spillover Into Other Areas of My Life
I’d like to imagine that there’s been some spillover into other areas of my life with this new habit. For example, when I’m meditating consistently, I feel a little less quick to anger.
I’ve also been making other improvements in areas that will soon be on the habit list. For example, just today I was listening to a health podcast in the car and felt inspired to stock up on healthy groceries. (Yes, a new diet plan is down the road in this 12/12 plan of mine.)
I’m also making some genuine efforts to structure my time better. I’m experimenting with hiring some assistance in various areas, and with structuring my time in slightly different ways.
So for sure, just having to think about instituting a new habit, regardless of what is is, is making me think about some of these bigger picture things.
So that’s my report for the first week. The main takeaways from my perspective seem to be:
- Find a consistent routine you can stick with.
- Start being more smart and methodical with your time.
- Appreciate the spillover effect into other areas of life.
Thanks for joining me in this journey. I’m off to meditate.
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy my post Some Notes on Accountability and Meditation and Connection With Your Core Self.