Challenging our routines

All of us have them, but how often do we challenge their usefulness?

Routines allow us to do things quickly and efficiently, make us feel comfortable with our environment and existence and generally take us through life, but what happens when a routine becomes a barrier to change?

We allow our habits and routines to prevent us from making a different choice, from trying something new, from changing, from losing weight, from exercising more, from (fill in your own blank here).

So as Spring approaches (Autumn in the Northern hemisphere) it is time to clean out those habits- or at least challenge them and to think through your routine and decide which bits are helpful and which are not.

I will be swapping my habitual pre work coffee in front of the computer for 10 mins of meditation. Although the coffee is lovely I don't need that extra 10 mins in front of the computer- the jobs will still get done, and I don't seem to be able to find the time to meditate, and 10mins is better than 0mins.

What will you change?
Let me know.

Comments

The here and now, living in it

I am currently reading a book about presence... being present in the here and now and transcending our physical being into our spiritual being through retreats and other such malarky! What a waste of paper, I feel guilty about the tree which created this book! Unfortunately (or fortunately) most of us cannot afford the time and or cash to head out on a month long retreat to find our inner selves and to be honest the experience may fill our souls with wonder but it is short lived when we return to our here and now and our general lives. It is more important to find 'presence' in our existing lives, our realities rather than head off into the ether to discover it. If you suffer from living in the future, constantly striving, making no time for yourself in the now, please consider the following time effective but real ways to wake up to the now. Sit for 2 mins and focus on your breathing or your heart rate- nothing else- and if thoughts come into your head tell them yo...

What 10 things do you do well?

We are generally very good at knowing what we need to do better but very very bad at being able to say we do something well. "I should do more exercise." "I could communicate more." "I need to get better at time management." "I should work on my presentation skills." "I need/ should (add your own in here!!!) It is time to put a different perspective on it. After all you didn't get to the ripe old age of (add here whatever age you feel like being), without managing to do some things well, the tricky part is being able to articulate what they are. So grab that coffee, find somewhere quiet and write down/think of 10 things you do well, just 10. Oh and fight the temptation to be glib, so 'I am good at being on facebook' doesn't count, but 'I am good at keeping in touch with people' does! The reality is that remembering and stating what we are good at is much harder than it sounds. We spend most of our time in the ...

A well worn path

My challenge for the here and now is to take note of 3 things as you go about your day to day activities. Things you see everyday but pay no attention to: a beautiful set of stairs travelled up and down by generations of people all set about their own day to day; a century old tree who has cast shade on your route for decades; or a children's book which sits on the bookcase now collecting dust and when you notice them think about the value they give/ have given to you. It is incredible to think that in each day we follow the same path, be that on foot, in the car or through habit but often fail to appreciate the very things that make the path smoother. For those of you who like an even greater challenge pick a significant person and notice some of the 'overlooked' traits they possess, think about how those traits positively impact on your journey and if you are feeling really brave you could even tell them. Go on, it won't hurt that much.

From Clutter to Clarity

Search This Blog