Make meditation a daily habit

Hey everyone! Today, I want to talk to you about a concept that can make a huge impact in your life – Implementation Intentions. This idea comes from James Clear's book Atomic Habits, and it's all about making a concrete plan for achieving your goals.

So, what exactly is an Implementation Intention? It's simply a statement that outlines when and how you plan to perform a desired behavior. It's like a roadmap that helps guide you toward your goal.

James Clear’s guideline for writing an implementation is as follows: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]”

For example, let's say you want to start meditating every day, but you have a really busy schedule. Your implementation intention might look like this: "I will meditate for 30 minutes every day {behavior} at 7 AM before I start my workday {time}, sitting in my living room chair {location}."

See how specific that is? It tells you when, where, and for how long you'll meditate. By breaking down the process into concrete steps, you're making it easier to turn your goal into a habit. When 7 AM rolls around, you'll know exactly what you need to do, and you'll be more likely to follow through with it. No motivation or willpower needed….you’ve got your plan in place.

Clear says, “Give your habits a time and a space to live in the world. The goal is to make the time and location so obvious that, with enough repetition, you get an urge to do the right thing at the right time, even if you can’t say why.”

Now, you might wonder why writing an implementation intention is any better than just trying to meditate daily. After all, can't you tell yourself to meditate and be done with it? Well, sure, but here's the thing – when we have a lot of other things going on, it can be all too easy to let our good intentions fall by the wayside. But when you have an implementation intention, you're setting yourself up for success. You're giving yourself a specific plan to follow, so you're less likely to get sidetracked or forget what you wanted to do. An Implementation intention can give you a concrete plan, instead of relying on willpower or motivation.

In conclusion, if you want to make meditation a part of your daily routine, try writing an implementation intention. Doing so will make it easier to stick to your goal and fit meditation into your busy schedule. Give it a try and see how it works for you!

Check out James Clear’s blog to learn more HERE.