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We are so used to working hard and checking things off our to-do list, that we sometimes forget to be intentional. It's easy to drift along, reacting and coping with a full life. So how can we remind ourselves to be deliberate in our actions and choices?
One tiny way I recently found to be mindful and intentional came about in my quest to get more exercise. I love to walk, and I thought I'd add more walking to my routine. Just writing it in the calendar didn't work . . . I could rationalize any number of reasons to postpone or excuse myself from it. So I tried a new tactic: I bought a pedometer, a little gizmo that measures the number of steps you take in a day. It sits on my waistband or in my pocket; it can also tell me how many aerobic steps I've taken, how many calories I've burned, and the total distance I've walked in a day. I'm utterly fascinated by it, and it's made me much more aware of my movement and my body. So now my goals are to get in 2000 steps by lunchtime each day, and at least 6000 by the end of the day.
How do you stay mindful? What are some other things that have worked for you to be intentional in your actions?
2 comments:
I have two ideas to share.
First, I am a slave to the calendar on my computer, so I set appointments (with reminders) for things I ought to do. For example, every weekday morning I have a 30-minute appointment titled, "Read a little." When that reminder goes off, I read business or self-help literature on days when I'm not buried! ha!
Second, I make it a habit to keep important books that I've read in my office. I will leave the book open to an important chapter when I go home at night. When I arrive in the office the next morning, there is a reminder of something important I've read.
These are two ways that I intentionally keep "personal best practices" at the top of my to-do list.
I've found a daily gratitude list really useful for staying mindful, and it reminds me of just how many things I'm happy about.
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