Instead of making (and almost immediately breaking) New Year’s resolutions this year, I decided to introduce 12 new habits, month by month. The first habit seemed to fit the grey introspection of January in the UK: I wanted to sit and meditate for at least 10 minutes, every day.
To help, I read James Clear’s excellent book Atomic Habits, which maps out four steps to creating a new habit and making it an automatic part of your routine. Whatever new habit you want to begin, the steps are the same.
So how did I do? Well, I managed to do it, every day! Here’s what I learned.
Make it obvious
I set a firm intention as Clear suggests, specifying time and place:
I will meditate in my study for at least 10 minutes every morning.
Scheduling it really helped. I already have a morning routine that I do on autopilot. It wasn’t difficult to slot meditation in after I’d done my yoga stretches, showered and dressed, but before I have my morning coffee. Stacking a new habit in with already established routines makes it much easier to do.
Make it attractive
I look forward to that first coffee of the day. It was an incentive to get the meditation done, and the coffee felt like a reward afterwards. Before breakfast, I already felt l was ahead on the day.
Make it easy
I loaded a meditation timer on my iPad, and created a pre-set for a ten-minute daily meditation with four interval bells to keep me focussed.
I also left the iPad in my study at night, breaking what had become an unproductive habit of grabbing it as soon as I wake and wasting the first 30 minutes of the day scrolling in bed.
Finally, I made a comfortable and welcoming area to meditate in, with cushions and a cosy blanket.
All I had to do in the morning was go into my study, sit down and press start on the app. As I’d have to go there anyway to fetch my iPad, it was almost easier to do the meditation than to avoid it.
Make it satisfying
I have the Insight Timer meditation app, which tells you how many consecutive days you’ve used it. When I wasn’t meditating regularly, this was a source of guilt. But as I did it, day after day, seeing the row of dots grow was an incentive in itself.
One morning I had to catch a 6am train to London, and skipped meditating. I didn’t get back till very late, I was tired, and there was a new episode of The Good Place to watch.
But by then I’d built up a streak of 18 days, and I didn’t want to break the chain. So I did my ten minutes, before watching TV. I’m not sure I would have done it otherwise.
So after all my resistance, all my excuses, it turns out all I really needed was to treat my brain like a tamagochi.
Daily meditation: is it worth the effort?
For the past few years, meditation has showed up daily on my task manager. I know how to meditate: I’ve done courses, even gone on retreats. I know all of the benefits, from improved concentration to dealing better with stress.
I really wanted to meditate regularly, and I really meant to. And yet.. I didn’t.
Sometimes, I’d tick it off my task list. Often I would keep putting it off till later, genuinely believing I’d do it after breakfast, after my first writing or coaching session, after lunch, after work, after dinner.. and then suddenly it was late, there was something great on Netflix, or I had a good book to read.
I’d promise myself a fresh start tomorrow, then do pretty much the same again.
Meditating first thing meant I didn’t have to see it, all day every day, on my task list. It was no longer taking up bandwidth. It also felt good just to keep my promises to myself, instead of constantly putting it off until a tomorrow they never came.
Continuing daily meditation
I was often distracted. I’m not going to pretend I got into deep meditation very often. There were a few days when I just sat there, lost in my own thoughts. But slowly, as my mind and body got used to the fact that this is what I do every morning, I found it easier to concentrate.
I’ve decided that I need to do longer meditation sessions with other people sometimes. I’m lucky to have a few meditation groups local to me, so I’m going to try to get to one every week or so, just to deepen my practice.
Whatever habit you’re trying to establish, it helps to do it with others at least some of the time, whether that’s joining an exercise class or meeting up with a running buddy.
And going deeper
I’ll need the extra support, to continue meditating – and improving.
Next month will be more challenging, because I won’t be writing about it. This month, I knew I was going to report on my results here, adding another level of accountability. I’m also introducing a new habit of journaling in February, which will add to my morning routine and probably mean I have to get up a little earlier.
But I do want to keep meditating, and continue the chain of consecutive days. Whether it’s the meditating itself, or the power of actually doing what I’ve said I’ll do, I’ve noticed a difference.
I’m sleeping better. I’m feeling more focussed. And I’m definitely getting more done in my day. Which is not a bad return on a 10-minute time investment.
What do you think?