Finding Time For Relaxation

We can easily spend 8 hours a day working, yet to find just 30 minutes for our own relaxation can seem very difficult. Many beginners to meditation state that a big difficulty is finding time to meditate. However, if we really want to do something – we can make time. Here are a few suggestions for finding time for meditation or a moment of relaxation.

1. Create Your Own Time.

If we wait until we have done everything else and then meditate, we will always be struggling to find time. The best way to create time is to set a fixed time for the specific purpose of our own meditation. This can be for 15 minutes or it can be for half an hour. The important thing is that we will see this time as non negotiable. Other things can always wait. The advantage of a certain fixed time, for our own personal development, is that we will feel relaxed in this time. We will know that during this period there will be no other demands on our time. This is essential to creating a feeling of relaxation. Work out a suitable time for creating your own space and time. You may find that early in the morning is very conducive to meditation.

2. Don’t Do Things Twice.

How often do we find ourselves watching the same news on two different occasions? If you watch the news on several different times and then read the same items on the internet we are gaining nothing extra but just wasting our time. This principle can be used for many different scenarios. The important thing is that we avoid going over the same ground twice. If you have checked your email half an hour ago, there is no need to do it again.

3. Get Up Early.

Morning is the best part of the day, but, it is easy to waste it – lying in bed for longer than necessary. Often we get up early in the week, but, then sleep in at the weekend. However, there is no reason to lose time, just because it is the weekend. Dozing in bed does not make us less tired – even if our mind likes us to think so. Make a determined effort to get up earlier and maintain a regular time for every day. The secret to successful sleeping is to get into a pattern of getting up early and then sticking to it.

4. Don’t watch TV

Work out how much time you spend watching TV in a week, you may be surprised at how easily the hours can fly by. If we are honest TV is rarely excellent. Mostly it is just average and sometimes it is dire. Yet, we spend along time watching TV, out of habit or because it is an easy thing to do. Rather than just flicking through channels vainly trying to find something worth watching. Rent a DVD so that you can watch exactly what you want – and without all the commercials. If you went without TV for a week, you may be pleasantly surprised at how little you miss it and how much extra time you create.

5. Don’t Procrastinate

Some people are able to juggle many things, but still find more time in the day. Their secret is the ability to do things without delay and procrastination. The key to getting things done is to have focus and do your most important tasks, one at a time. If you do something single-mindedly until it is finished it creates great concentration and focus; this enables you to get things out of the way. To find more time in the day, you don’t need to do less, you just need to do things more efficiently.

6. Don’t Do the Unnecessary.

Just because somebody asks you to do something doesn’t mean it is essential to do it. If we say yes to everything we will find an unlimited quantity of tasks come our way. We have to learn the art of saying no, without feeling guilty. Whenever we do something or take on another task, we should always be aware of what we are losing out on as a result.

Photo by Sharani, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries