The actions and habits, the categories and themes varies, but the challenges  are common:

• How to stop procrastinating
• How to create goals and make plans for actions
• How to prioritize
• How to get things done
• How to meet difficulties and setbacks

What helps me may also help you:

• Find meaning
  • and change the attitude from “I have to do it” to “I want to do it”
• Preparation:
  • Write down goals, actions and plans
  • Create routines
  • Make appointments with myself
  • Make reminders for important appointments and tasks, especially if they are not urgent and there is no external pressure to do them.
  • Tell others about my commitments
  • Find people with common goals to share experience and for support
• Determination:
  • Procrastination affects all areas of my life and stop me from achieving the life I want
  • It is difficult to be happy and peaceful as long as I have unfinished “businesses”
  • Thoughts and emotions will come up without warning to remind me of unfinished tasks or goals not achieved
  • So when the alarm reminds me about appointments or tasks, stop thinking and “Just Do It!”
• Be prepared for difficulties and setbacks:
  • Know my strengths and weaknesses
  • Develop myself and learn
  • Network with my coworkers and others
  • Find a couch or adviser
• Create a strong foundation
  • Appreciate and love my family and friends
  • Eat healthy
  • Exercise body and brain
• Being kind and patient
  • Change takes time
  • Be patient
  • Some day’s I succeed, some days I don’t
  • Don’t give up and the negative habit will looses its stickiness and the positive habit becomes a routine.

Until we can train our minds through meditation to watch thoughts and feelings come and go without disturbing our peace and happiness, it does not hurt to have good habits and routines. So that when we take time to do things we enjoy, we are not disturbed by thoughts of unfinished tasks and goals hanging over us.

Breath

In the beginning of the 1990’s, I attended a meditation course for beginners in the Tibetan tradition, and learned breath meditation. After 15 years trying various meditation methods and other spiritual practices, I attended the breath meditation course again at the same center.

I want to share with you what I have learned from the first day of the course.

Being aware of breath is the most recommended and useful method for meditation. Why is being aware of your breath a good meditation method?

• Everybody can be aware of their own breath.
• We can be aware of our breath everywhere and any time we want (We get better with practice).
• We do not desire it (We are attached to life itself, but in everyday life we don’t desire for breath).
• We do not fear loosing it (We die if we stop breathing, but in everyday life we don’t fear loosing breath).
• We are not attached to breath, or have aversion against breath.
• We don’t expect praise for having or using our breath.
• We don’t feel proud for having or using our breath.
• We don’t get sense pleasures from breathing.

So breathing is quite neutral and undiscriminating method to meditate.

With the more advanced meditation methods, if you are not ready, there is a danger that you compare/compete with others, and feel proud if you think you experience something that is “out of the ordinary”, or you think you know something that makes you superior to others. With breathing meditation, your are safer against your own ego’s tendencies to feel special.

How To Meditate?

Position:

• Sit comfortable on a cushion.
• One leg resting over the other (half lotus), both legs resting on the other leg (full lotus), or both legs on the floor.
• Your back supine (imagine very gentle force pulling you between heaven and earth).
• One hand resting in the other hand in front of you in the level of your navel, or let your hands rest on your knees.
• Look a little down in front of you. When you get sleepy, look a little up, and when you get tense, look a little down. Try to balance your look according to your level of concentration.

Breath:

• Breath naturally, don’t force your breath to be longer or shorter than normal.
• Be aware of your breath:
  • air comes in and out of your nostrils (both or one, which one?)
  • air is warmed up by your noose cavities
  • air goes down your throat and your lungs
  • be aware of a small pause before you exhale
  • exhale with awareness

Mind:

• Be aware of your breath, not your thoughts or your emotions
• Don’t feel guilty for having thoughts or emotions
• But don’t give attention to thoughts or emotions
• When your body require attention, such as itch or pain, do not give attention to the sensations. Go back to awareness of breath.
• Thoughts, emotions and body sensations do not last long if you do not give them attention.
• Your mind is quiet
• Peace of mind is in every breath.

Even if you later do other meditation methods, you can start with breath meditation to calm down your mind.

If you have questions or comments about breath meditation or other meditation methods, you are welcome to reply to this post.