I’ve had a fraught relationship with time for as long as I can remember. The persistent and heavy feeling that there is never enough time— to get it all done, to finish the task list, to make the impact I feel called to make— lingers, no matter my efforts to shake it. Even when I think I’ve managed to banish the urgency, it never lasts. Right now, it’s about trying (futilely) to fit in all the people, places, work, play, and general life necessities into the 24/7 we are allotted. Sound familiar? Enter dharana (concentration): reminding us to focus on one thing at a time.
Dharana in mind, here I am again; making an effort to return to what I know to be true: my top three practices for un-jamming up my mind, my schedule and my life. Maybe one of them will be helpful for you, too.
Get up earlier. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or pulled in too many directions without enough space to care for yourself, there’s a way to create more hours in your day. This will require tenacity, discipline, and a willingness to embrace discomfort for a spell. But 100% of the time, I feel better about pretty much everything when I rise earlier. It allows me a more spacious practice; time to savor the quiet before the world (or the house) is buzzing with activity; a head start on the day’s tasks. This one works for me, every time. Yes, you’ll likely need to give up that last hour of scrolling or binge-watching before bed— but trust me, it’s so, so worth it. Starting the day spaciously makes it possible to thread that awareness (and pace) through the day.
Pause. Counterintuitive as it may seem, taking or making space to pause throughout the day will help. Remember this one? Space with nothing in it? We weren’t designed to work non-stop for hours and hours on end. We were meant to balance work with rest and play. Start tuning in to the signals from your mind and body. When that quiet inner voice says “I cannot answer one more email,” or when your body begins to protest all of the desk time, stop what you’re doing. Similarly, as soon as you find yourself mindlessly staring or switching between tabs without actually accomplishing anything, pause. Step away from work and devices. Go outside— or if you, too, are living on the surface of the sun, stand by a window and take in the sky, the trees, the birds and breathe deeply. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: empty space is better than anything you can put into it. Even a short break allows me to return to whatever I was doing before with more energy and creativity.
Just do the one thing. When your to-do list gets too long, or the schedule ahead creates a sense of paralysis, it’s time to strategize. What most needs your attention right now? You can’t (and don’t need to) do all the things all at once, tempting as it may be to try. Those tasks further down the road? Let them stay there for now, knowing you’ll get there all in good time. I have the tendency to try to multitask (spoiler: that’s not a thing) and instead of feeling the satisfaction of ticking something off my list, I end up with a bunch of half-baked, partially-completed tasks. Sound familiar? Focus on just the one thing— that’s all you need to do.
Time is one thing we cannot change, and once it’s passed, we can never get it back. So practicing presence and consciously choosing how to use the time we have makes all the difference. What could open up for you if focused on one thing at a time? If you made mindful choices to release the anxiety of “not enough” or “too much” and claimed the fullness of the moment at hand?
