#Microblog Monday 192: Take Two Minutes
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I had a 35 day streak going on Smiling Mind, and I missed one day because I kept putting off meditating. I am beyond pissed with myself because I really liked the counter in the dashboard listing a nice, high number. And now it says 10.
I decided that I had to meditate at a set point every day or this could possibly happen again. No more wherever-I-can-squeeze-it-in. So I’ve now made it my pre-work ritual. On weekends, it’s my pre-first-activity-of-the-day ritual. If we’re in a hurry, I do the shortest meditation, which is only a minute or so.
It all goes back to a piece of advice I read: If something will only take you two minutes, do it immediately. If you put it off, you will spend more than two minutes remembering to do it and it will still take you two minutes to complete the task. Meditation technically sometimes takes more than two minutes, but it could take two minutes. So I just do it and get it over with.
And then my mind is calm because I’ve taken care of the task. Win!
What is something you need to do that will only take you two minutes? Go do it right now.
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8 comments
Reading about mindfulness was just right for me today! a Good reminder.
I have heard that the word from chinese which the word “mindfulness” is translated from is actually better translated as “remember”. Not the kind of remember we automatically think of, e.g. remembering something that happened from the past. It’s the kind of remember like “remember yourself” , like you might say to a child who is being loud and boisterous in the middle of a quiet solemn place (like a church) “Remember where you are”.
So… with that in mind.. it strikes me that if you’re trying to remember to be mindful, you’re kind of being mindful.
I love the app Smiling Mind, but I think it’s important to ‘remember’ that mindfulness isn’t a specific task that you practice, it’s a state of mind and can occur in “just a moment” of time, any time of the day….
I have a lot of things I need to do that would only take 2 minutes. So which one do I do first? It’s a good maxim though – to do it if it would only take 1-2 minutes. A friend on another blog reminded me of this just a few days ago. So I clearly needed to hear it this week!
Two minutes…well, I just read the post and went and unloaded the dishwasher. Win! Thanks for the reminder to just *do* those things. It’s easy to let them turn into a bigger deal than they are if I just go deal with it.
This is really good advice, and you put it in terms that are meaningful to me (takes less time when you just do it!).
Taking a moment now…
Floss my teeth. :p Not something I enjoy, but I actually have been doing it consistently lately (since I had all those dental issues last year :p ), as well as using a power toothbrush. Heading to the dentist later next month for a checkup, and hoping that it’s made a difference…!
I meditate for ten minutes during my lunch break most days. It’s the best time for me to fit it in, and (I think) it helps me be more productive in the afternoons.
I feel like I don’t have anything that I need to do that will only take two minutes. . . but I am notoriously bad about overestimating the amount of time required to complete dreaded tasks.
I really ought to meditate (something tells me there’s something wrong with that sentence). It seems like such a great way to insert a little peace, a little mind-vacation into the day. I’d love to start the day that way, but I’m just trying to get my act together to have a relaxed morning with coffee and breakfast BEFORE I get in the car…with only 7 weeks left of school. Oh well.
For the two minutes… I totally can see it taking more time to remind yourself to do the task that will only take 2 minutes and so it taking longer than it needs to be. Dusting. Maybe picking up papers and filing mail as it comes in. Mail is the devil. It would take so little time to sort it as it comes, but it turns into this massive undertaking ridiculously quickly.
I needed this. Because I’ve been procrastinating. Thank you for the push