Your weekly reset: Simple steps to reclaim your time

Welcome to MindfulMornings! This week we continue to look at reducing excess, to ensure we spend our energy on what’s important.

In case you missed it, we’ve launched a 2-Week Generosity Challenge. You can sign up here.

Today’s newsletter is brought to you by the Mukha Yoga. Be sure to check out their offer in the P.S.

Here are 2 quotes, 2 tips, and 1 question to help you build healthy habits this week.

2 Quotes

1. "Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you’re going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus." – Oprah Winfrey

    

2. "Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the sunset and the sunrise. It's a privilege to be alive. Inhale the first breath of the morning, exhale the last one of the day. This is your life, make it worthwhile." - Nichiren Daishonin

2 Tips

1) Embrace Contentment: Create Your 'Stop Doing' List

Why:

We live in a world that constantly pushes us to want, and do, more. This can lead to stress and dissatisfaction. Creating a ‘stop doing’ list helps shift our focus to quality over quantity and prioritize activities that truly bring joy.

How to create it:

1. Identify activities driven by the desire for more: Take a moment to reflect on your daily habits. Which ones come from wanting to accumulate more? This might include checking social media, buying things you don't need, or doing activities because others expect you to.

2. Create your "Stop Doing" list: Write down these activities in your journal to create your “Stop Doing” list. Try to be specific. Include times, places, and how you will stop doing it.

   For example:

   • I will stop checking social media after 7 pm. To ensure I do this I will turn my phone off and put it in the office.

   • I will stop impulsively buying items by always walking away and forcing myself to take 10 minutes to decide if I really need it.

   • I will stop committing to activities the first time someone asks me to get involved. Instead, I will say “I need to check my schedule” to give me time to determine if it’s something I really want to do.

3. Review and reflect regularly: Look at your "Stop Doing" list a couple of times a week. Think about why you're choosing to stop these activities and how it makes you feel.

4. Replace with fulfilling activities: Gradually swap items on your "Stop Doing" list with things that bring true joy. For instance, replace extra social media use with reading a book.

By making this practice part of your routine, you can cultivate a more mindful approach to what is included in your life.

2) Recharge Your Mind with 'Tech-Free Tuesday'

Why:

Our hyper-connected world can be overwhelming. While technology helps us stay connected, too much screen time can lead to burnout and anxiety. Taking a day off from tech each week can:

• Rejuvenate your mind

• Restore your energy

• Improve your mental well-being

• Help you develop a healthier relationship with technology

How:

1. Choose your day: We’ve suggested Tuesday because it makes for a catchy title, but you can pick any day of the week. If you can’t do a whole day because you work on a computer, try going tech-free outside of work hours.

2. Prepare ahead: Let your family, friends, or colleagues know about your tech-free day. This sets expectations and helps ensure they don’t get worried if they are used to you responding to messages straight away.

3. Plan activities: Make a list of enjoyable, screen-free activities. Here are some ideas:

   • Read a book

   • Write in a journal

   • Go for a walk

   • Practice yoga or meditation

   • Spend quality time with loved ones

   • Play board or card games

   • Do a puzzle or drawing

4. Set boundaries: Define what "tech-free" means for you. It could be:

   • No social media

   • No emails

   • No TV

   • No screens at all, including your smartphone

   Start small and gradually increase your tech-free time.

5. Reflect and adjust At the end of each Tech-Free Tuesday, think about your experience:

   • Did you feel more relaxed?

   • Was it challenging?

   • What could you do differently next time?

Boundaries of our tech-free day: In case you’re interested, these are the boundaries we set for our tech-free day this week. We did a tech-free Sunday and combined it with a day of rest.

• No screens at all (with a couple of exceptions below)

• The phone was turned off when we went to bed on Saturday night

Exceptions

• Kindles were allowed for reading - but the books had to already be downloaded - no searching for new books.

• We left one phone on ‘do not disturb’. This allowed emergency calls to come through.

• We allowed music. We didn’t have a radio or record player so we allowed the phone to be used to play downloaded music only.

1 Question

Time is nothing without energy. We can spend time with family, but if we don’t have the energy to devote to them the time is wasted, or worse, can be damaging as we might be grumpy or unkind.

This is why it is so important to think about how we use and maintain our energy, not just how we spend our time.

• What's one thing you can let go of today to make space, and conserve energy, for something that truly nourishes your soul?

As a side note - sleep plays a big role in determining our energy levels. See our newsletter: Sleep is my favorite hobby for advice on getting a great night’s sleep.

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoy your week.

With gratitude,

MindfulMornings

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