Mindfulness, the voluntary state of being present in the moment instead of living or existing passively. Do you feel as if life is going by too quickly? Do you feel as if you cannot slow down and take some downtime when you need it? If this sounds familiar, you are likely living your life more passively and not acting with intention mindfully. Use the following six ways to be more mindful each day.
Make It A Real Commitment
As obvious as this sounds, this is where most people go wrong with anything they want to change in their life. You are likely guilty of this too. You want to do something, and you tell yourself you will do it, but you never follow the plan you create.
You never genuinely do what is needed to get it done. Write it down, make the appropriate schedule, and stick to it, or you will never get there. Telling yourself that you want something is only the first step of action, and commitment to the plan is where success starts.
One, Five, or Ten-Minute Exercises
Start slow, and don’t expect too much from yourself. Start each morning with a one-minute mindful exercise like breathing exercise or meditation. Then once you are comfortable with the time, increase it until you can do it longer and longer.
Have Daily Goals and Intentions
Each morning give yourself time to highlight essential goals or daily intentions. Ask yourself the following questions each more to get you started:
“What would make me most fulfilled today?”
“What do I have to do today that I often do mindlessly, and what actions can I take to do it differently?”
The point is to make your goals and intentions as clear and as simple as possible to help you take the actions required to make a real change.
Start With “Mindless” Tasks
Going to the bathroom, brushing your teeth, or putting away the dishes are a few everyday tasks that are easy enough to do that many people don’t use a lot of attention to get done. These mindless tasks are a great place to start to train yourself to be more mindful.
The next time you brush your teeth, count in your head to two minutes or take notice of where you want to put the brush next. Repeat these similar actions for each chore to practice being more mindful. Eventually, living each moment with intent will become natural.
Stop Multitasking
To multitask efficiently, you must give just enough attention to each task for it to work. Meaning you really are not giving your fullest attention. In other words, you are working from memory. This means in a mindful world that you should avoid multitasking at all costs.
In fact, research shows that multitasking is not really all that beneficial anyway. Giving your brain the focus that it requires on each task will free up your time and allow you to produce better quality work as well. This is because you are no longer wasting time switching between tasks and have the optimal brainpower to produce better ideas faster.
Slow Down and Free Up More of Your Time
Stop being so busy and have more free time – being busy does not equal success. If you find yourself always rushing, you are likely not giving your best, only leading to failure or lackluster results. Learn when to say no more and take the time to evaluate yourself to be sure you are doing what is needed to be successful.
Try each of these six strategies to live a more mindful life and increase your happiness. Mindfulness is the key to living a more stress-free, happier, and successful life.
