habit of the day – HabitHacks https://blog.lift.do The power of small changes to make big results Sun, 21 Feb 2021 18:03:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://blog.lift.do/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cropped-Screenshot-1-32x32.png habit of the day – HabitHacks https://blog.lift.do 32 32 9 Mistakes to Avoid While Starting Meditation https://blog.lift.do/9-mistakes-to-avoid-while-starting-meditation/ Sun, 21 Feb 2021 18:01:27 +0000 https://blog.lift.do/?p=1964 Read ]]>
  • Don’t expect immediate results.

    Maybe because of the way popular culture has portrayed meditation as the “one-stop solution to get rid of your stress at one go”, many people get frustrated when all their stress doesn’t magically disappear immediately after their first meditation session.

    While it’s true that meditation can relieve stress, the results will be seen over time, once you make it a regular habit. Meditation is more of a spiritual practice to get in touch with your inner self. The benefits like stress relief and relaxation are its by-products, not its ultimate goal.

  • Embrace distractions.

    One of the biggest mistakes beginners make while starting with a meditation habit is that they assume they have to be a completely distraction-free environment to get into it. Unless you live in a house all by yourself at the top of a mountain, that’s not possible. There will be background noise no matter when or where you do it, and guess what, distractions are good.

    Make them a part of your meditation. Do a sound check and try to be aware of where each noise is coming from. This will help you incorporate these distractions into your practice rather than considering them as roadblocks and feeling discouraged.

  • Don’t go into it unprepared.

    Before starting your practice, take a few minutes to calm your mind and body and reaffirm your intent. This can be as simple as stretching your back, neck, arms, and saying to yourself, “Okay, I’m going to focus now.” Such small steps go a long way in making sure you don’t lose steam mid-way and can ease into your session.

  • Don’t seek escape in meditation.

    Meditation is not meant to be a way to suppress your negative thoughts. It’s a guiding light to let you be truly aware of what’s going on in your head and sort through all the emotions.

    Don’t consciously try not to think about something negative. Observe all your feelings, let them grow and naturally dissolve.

  • Don’t aim for long durations in the beginning.

    Experts might tell you they meditate for two hours every day. But what they don’t tell you is that they’ve been doing it for years now, and have built up the practice over time. When starting, don’t aim for long durations. Shorter stretches like 10 minutes can be just as beneficial. In fact, if you’re feeling nervous about that, you can just try taking ten deep breaths in bed. While getting started, even the small steps matter a lot.

  • Don’t keep questioning yourself if you’re doing it right.

    The truth is, there’s no “right” way to meditate. Different practices work for different people. So, how do you know if yours is working for you? If you can keep your attention focused and be mindful of your body, your thoughts, your surroundings, you know you’re doing great.

  • Don’t keep telling yourself you’ll do it “some time”.

    If you keep telling yourself you’ll meditate when you find the time, you’ll probably always be too busy or too tired to even give it a try. While building a new habit, it’s important to consciously allot time for it in your schedule. Meditation is no different. Just keep a 10-minute slot in your daily routine each day for meditation and see the results for yourself.

  • Don’t be inconsistent.

    You’re starting something that you’ve never tried before. Don’t be inconsistent as it will be even harder to keep yourself accountable. Missing a day or two when something major comes up is alright, but missing entire weeks or months in the name of “not finding time” is not.

  • Don’t go into it all alone.

    While it’s possible to start a meditation practice alone, having an accountability partner makes it easier. This can be a friend or colleague with whom you decided to start the new habit together. Or it can be a certified meditation coach who will guide you through the process and help you on days you feel like you can’t stick through with it on your own.
    • ]]>         Habit of the Day: Write Three Positive Things About Today https://blog.lift.do/habit-of-the-day-write-three-positive-things-about/ Fri, 28 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000 http://blog.coach.me/habit-of-the-day-write-three-positive-things-about/ Read ]]> We were surprised last year when the Write three positive things about today habit doubled in participants in one day after Lifter Zack Shapiro blogged about it. The habit now has over 1,450 members:

    What compelled hundreds of people to add this habit into their already busy lives? Science shows it’ll boost your happiness.

    Actively recognizing the positive things in your life increases your longterm happiness.

    The father of positive psychology, Martin E. P. Seligman, found that the practice of writing down three positive things a day and why they happened increased happiness and decreased depression longterm in his famous study “Positive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions”:

    We… found that two interventions—writing about three good things that happened each day and why they happened, and using signature strengths of character in a new way—made people happier (and less depressed) up to six months later.

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    There’s another great reason to start this habit: Write three positive things about today is one of our most supportive communities. There are 1.56 props given per check-in on average.

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    How to start building this habit:

    Right Now: Think of one positive thing right now and why. I’ll start: I’m happy you read to the end of this post!

    Then: Add the Write three positive things about today habit on Lift. Set a reminder for 10pm each night. Get more tips by reading The Happiness Advantage or checking out Zack’s post.

    ]]>         Habit of the Day: Make Bed https://blog.lift.do/habit-of-the-day-make-bed/ Fri, 28 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.coach.me/habit-of-the-day-make-bed/ Read ]]> Did you know that a small habit like making your bed can help you get through life’s rough patches? One Lift user, Dave, told us last week that making his bed helped him recover from a divorce:

    I’m 30 years old and have been going through a particularly ugly divorce (I suppose they’re all ugly). When I felt like my life was completely out of control, I discovered Lift. I set out to make my bed and floss every single morning. 

    I’ve managed to do both of these things for 100 days in a row, and in the process develop the habit of starting my day on a positive note. It also helped me regain some control in my life, no matter how small.

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    How could a simple, one minute task like making a bed have had such a profound effect on Dave’s life? It’s his keystone habit. 

    Keystone habits create positive momentum that increases your ability to achieve other goals

    In The Power of Habit, author Charles Duhigg explains the unique power of keystone habits and specifically, making your bed:

    Making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget. It’s not that… a tidy bed causes better grades or less frivolous spending. But somehow those initial shifts start chain reactions that help other good habits take hold. (Duhigg)

    Making your bed is an especially great keystone habit because it’s easy to build into your existing routines. It takes just a minute or two to make your bed. Most people know how to do it; otherwise it’s easy to learn. The immediate visual reward of seeing a made bed reinforces the habit. Plus the task fits seamlessly into your morning routine.

    That brings us to one more reason that making your bed is such an effective keystone habit: since you do it in the morning, you’ll feel the positive effects all day long. 

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    Here’s how you can start Making Your Bed today:

    Right Now: Add the Make Bed habit on Lift. Set up a Lift reminder for just after you wake up or put a post-it note on your mirror/phone/door if you’ll be too groggy to check notifications in the AM.

    Then: Make your bed tomorrow morning! If you need tips, this article is full of them including how to make your bed while you’re still in it.

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