The Holy Trinity of Habits

It's been nine days since my last confession to you, so I'll ease you back in gently with a short post about habits and what my "holy trinity" are.

Despite the religious connotations of my post title I won't be taking my guidance from any of the Gods available to me. However by following a routine of acting out these habits I have received a level of calmness and support that have made them my own religion of sorts. In times of stress or depression I can turn to the routine and my habits for solace and feel the benefits of taking action and completing them. They are simple to complete, but powerful on the mind and when performed in the following order at the start of my day I feel prepared for action.

If I repeat myself a little here it is only because these three habits are the ones I've found have helped me the most in the last two weeks.

1. Meditation

The apps I use

I probably sound like a New Age healer with the amount I talk about meditation (if not then I am doing something wrong), but as I have said before it is an excellent go to tool for reducing stress and improving your mental health. My new habit is to meditate for at least three minutes a day. That is what I like to call a POP (piece of piss) target. It's easily achievable for even the busiest of people. First thing in the morning I put the kettle on and make my tea, straight after I sit down and do my meditation. If I've woken early then I'll do ten minutes or more, if I'm pushed for time I just do three minutes. Either way I've hit my target for the day and kept my consistency.










I use the meditations from the excellent book Mindfulness: Finding peace in a frantic world however I can recommend the apps Calm and Headspace as great free tools to help you meditate. Check them out today.





2. Write

My A5 notebook, one page (POP)

Straight after meditation is the perfect time to jot down any thoughts that I've had or ideas that come to mind. If my creativity is free flowing then I will write like a mad man, but my POP target is to write just one page in my notebook. It's just an A5 notebook, so it's easy to write enough to fill a page and knock down my writing target for the day. My plan is to increase this gradually over the next few months, but it's all about baby steps to start with. Set a realistic goal and achieve it every day without fail.











3. Read

I love reading, but you might rather poke your eyes with a stick. However the benefits of reading for expanding your mind or just entertaining you are unmatched (in my opinion). You can take a book anywhere and with smartphones you can carry a library in your pocket (I am not being paid by Kindle ;)) Straight after my writing I will open up my kindle or paperback and read just three pages. That's my POP target for the day and I will usually smash that and read a lot more. Again it depends on how much time I have and how my mind is, but it's a nice way to switch the brain into imagination mode and leave me feeling great for the day. So whether you love a bit of Danielle Steel or prefer to ponder  Marcus Aurelius grab a book and get turning.






Conclusion

Each morning I perform these three habits religiously. It sets me up for the day by putting me into an action mindset and leaves me feeling a sense of accomplishment within an hour of waking up. So no matter what happens thereafter I know that at least I have had success and got things done for myself. From there I am pumped to work, learn or write my book and am satisfied when I get to the end of the day. There are many things I won't be able to control in life, but at least I can work on myself and create what I want from there.

Just something to think about,

Tom.