I wanted to write about routines because One- I'd like to share some routines that have been helpful to me, and Two- I think that by writing this I might recall some healthy routines others have mentioned, and hopefully become inspired to add them to my regimen.

Meditating every day  

I currently meditate for a minimum of 22 minutes every day. Why 22 minutes? Well, it started at 10 minutes.  Obviously, if I'm writing a blog post on mindfulness, I know that it's valuable to practice it consistently.  I also know that it's not always easy to do!  So, I set up an "external support and accountability structure" (1) by recruiting a couple of good friends who also wanted support with keeping a daily practice.  Rather than starting with something onerous and unrealistic, we started with a time period that was small enough that there was really no excuse that we couldn't do it.  We even allowed that you could split the 10 minutes into segments (e.g. two 5-minute periods of meditation.)  The deal was, and is, if you don't do the full amount of meditation you committed to, the very next day you have to call and 'fess up to it.  I have three people I have this commitment with, two of whom are meditation students of mine.  It’s inconvenient and embarrassing to make these calls- “Umm, sorry, I didn’t do my full meditation yesterday, um… The dog ate my homework…”  As a result, by now it’s almost 100 percent of the time that I’m succeeding in doing my daily meditation.  It’s what gets me to the cushion on the days when I’ve just snuggled in to bed and just as I’m getting comfy remember- “Oh s***!  I forgot to meditate today! #$@!”  And then I grumpily get out of bed, set my timer for 22 minutes, and sit.  Once this was well established we've slowly added to the number.  10 minutes became 11 minutes, jumped to 15 minutes, then 16 minutes, then 20 minutes, now 22 minutes.

(1.) Yet another pithy Shinzen catchphrase!

Setting an intention prior to meditation: 

I mentioned in another blog post that it can be helpful to set an intention prior to starting a period of meditation.  Each time before I start my daily meditation, I mentally say the following sentence, which reminds me what mindfulness practice is, and why I'm doing it:  "For the next (currently 22) minutes, I'm cultivating the skills of: Concentration, Clarity, and Equanimity, in order to: Decrease Suffering, Increase Fulfillment, Cultivate Wisdom, Improve Behaviors, and Ultimately- to Serve in a Joyful, Effective, and Effortless way." (2)

(2.)This is a one sentence summary answer to “What is mindfulness, and why practice mindfulness?”

Setting an intention at the end of a period of meditation:

This is something I haven't made routine yet; this is exactly the thing that I was hoping to remember that I am now going to commit to.  Shinzen has a phrase that he uses oftentimes when he completes a period of guided meditation, which goes something like this- "Make the intention to carry forward the momentum of Concentration, Clarity and Equanimity that you've been cultivating, into your daily life activities."  Easy enough, after my timer beeps, I’m now going to make this same intention!

Setting an intention to be mindful at work:

One routine that I learned years ago from my friend and mentor Dr. Auguste Fortin is that prior to entering the examination room, to pause and make the following intention "May I be of service to this patient."  This is now something that I do before each patient I see, and this small act makes a big difference to help me to bring my full presence and attention to caring for the person in front of me. 

Gratitude Journal

I've written in another post that every night I write down five things I'm grateful for.

Other Routines

I’d really love to learn about routines that have been valuable to you in your life.  If you have some, please share in the comments section! 

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