Weeks Five and Six
In weeks five and six of this program you will work to create a sustainable and productive mindfulness practice regimen that fits your life. During these weeks, you will use what you have practiced in the first four weeks of this program to determine what the best quantities, durations, settings, and types of mindfulness practices are best for you in the long-term.
How Can You Best Fit Mindfulness Meditation Practices Into Your Day?
Mindfulness meditation is effective when it helps you be happier, healthier, more productive, or some combination of the three. However—in some ways these three can actually be in conflict with one another. For example, spending time on mindfulness during a busy day will reduce the amount of time you have to get work done, even if it makes you happier.
But while the goals of happiness, health, and productivity can be conflicting in the short-term, regular mindfulness practice has been scientifically supported to increase all three in the long-term. If you are able to use mindfulness regularly for a sustained period of time, you will likely see increases in all of these benefits. A major key to reaching this point is to find the best mindfulness opportunities and practice techniques for you to maximize happiness, health, and productivity. In the next two weeks of this program you will explore different practice regimens, and record how well they work for you.
How Can You Best Use Your Mental Energy Each Day?
If you have a busy schedule it might be hard to find time to practice. Even though research has indicated that regular mindfulness meditation increases productivity, disrupting the flow of your day to sit down and meditate can feel very counterintuitive. Taking a break from work might not feel productive, but a quick mindfulness practice or two during the workday can actually help optimize the use of your mental energy. As a reminder—try to take a break at 2 or 3 on the Cognitive Pacing Scale, as it will be easier to recover back to 1.
Practice Goals for These Weeks
For these weeks, explore sustainable ways to fit mindfulness into your daily life. Perhaps try taking multiple shorter breaks throughout the day, and compare it to longer breaks taken further apart. Perhaps try creating a regular schedule for what type of practice you complete at each time of the day, and compare it to just completing whatever practice you are in the mood for.
My biggest piece of advice is to be aware of what you want to get out of mindfulness practice, as well as how much time and energy you want to spend on it. Use what you have learned in the first four weeks of this program to consider how you can best incorporate it into your daily life. Explore sustainable ways in your day-to-day life to take mindful breaks, while also recording in your tracking sheet how different schedules and practice techniques affect your happiness, health, and productivity.
Practice Tracking Sheet
Click this button to download a .pdf file of the tracking sheet pictured below
