Several months back, my buddy Jon shared on reddit the simple secret he uses to meditate every single day:
“I just shrink the length of the session in my head until I hit a level I don’t feel resistance to. Like, “Could I do 15 minutes? No, I feel resistance, I’m not gonna do it. Okay, what about 10? Still too long, the thought puts me off. Okay, 5? Huh, I don’t feel resistance to that. I feel like I can sit for 5.” Boom.”
Then, if you feel like meditating for longer, you meditate for longer.
This idea is so simple, and I think it’s also the perfect way to take it easy on yourself as you integrate new habits into your life. Whether you want to meditate, work out, write, or study every day, forming new daily habits it hard. I think the more honest you are with yourself as you adopt new habits, the more likely they are to stick, and the less likely you are to procrastinate with them. Sure, there are huge benefits to breaking out of your comfort zone, but I think that by being aware of how much mental resistance you have to a new habit, and by respecting those limits, you’ll get a lot more accomplished at the end of the day.
Photo credit: Jenny Downing
