A Ten-Second Habit For Hurried People Who Want To Be More Present
I’m a big fan of small changes.
Stanford psychologist BJ Fogg, who’s been studying behavior change for over two decades, says when people try to adopt a new habit:
“The number one mistake they make is not going tiny enough.”
Scale down instead of giving up
My friend Jo Annette came up with a mindfulness habit that demonstrates the power of aiming small.
She used to rush to get on the road every morning but often had to drive back home to make sure her garage door had closed.
She was losing time in an effort to save it.
“I decided to stop — on purpose — and watch my garage door go down. I love my neighborhood, so I decided to take a moment to look around and express gratefulness for where I live and offer blessings for my neighbors.”
I’ve been experimenting with this since she told me about it. I’m consistently surprised by how little time it actually takes.
Finding time
The biggest challenge to consistent mindful awareness practice isn’t finding the time. It’s the reluctance to stop rushing or ruminating even for the ten seconds it takes to watch our garage doors close.
Starting small
Identify an activity you usually rush through on your way to more important tasks. Slow down. Curiously observe what happens.
Adding a few seconds of direct awareness to tasks you’re already doing doesn’t cost anything, but when it becomes habitual, can gradually start to enhance the overall quality of your life.
It also leads to looking for more places to sneak some life back into your daily routine.
