Try doing this daily – or six days a week:
* 30 Minutes: Brisk walk (Crack of dawn recommended)
* 15 Minutes: Stretching, including light weights (Buy a pair of dumbbells)
* 30 Minutes: Read (Long form, available in the form of a book printed on paper)
* 10 Minutes: Observe nature with all your five senses (be mindful of what you touch or taste though)
* 15 Minutes: Get bored. Think anything. Do more of the above. Express gratitude for being in a position to do this.
* 20 Minutes: Freewriting (In a journal. Pen down anything: reflections, stories, things that happened, memories, problems at work, relationship issues, happy stuff, annoying stuff. Don’t allow a lag between your mind and your hand, and don’t worry about grammar, spellings, structure and content.)
That’s two hours a day out of twenty four. With a weekly off. If you can make a habit of it, transformation (for the better) is guaranteed (or your money back!). It will not matter what you do with the remaining time as long as you check these boxes – with your senses at full alert. If you have to drag your way through it because of lack of energy or interest, then it will not count.
To add to this, make travel plans (which includes exploring your own city). Stay away from toxicity. Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Don’t indulge in inanity. Spend time with people who don’t suck your energy.
THERE ARE REASONS WHY IT IS A POTENT FORMULA
For one, none of it is work. It’s about being in a relationship with yourself and love can be elevating (even if it’s demanding).
Your body feels better with the exercise. As long as you don’t negate the gains through gluttony and unhealthy habits. After the first few days of pain, you will be surprised at your body wanting to get moving even if your mind is dead set against it.
I can go on and on about the benefits and joys of reading. Go on Google or Perplexity for loads of articles testifying to this if my word is not credible enough for you.
Concrete and glass are supposed signs of progress, but nature gives us a sense of belonging; humans are an integral part of it. As a regular observer, you will be heartbroken with its degradation – that’s when you will move away from your consumerist and polluting lifestyle. Enough people do this, and we will have a solution to the environmental catastrophe playing out even as you read this.
Writing collects your thoughts in one place, and gives you access to the deepest recesses of your mind. It prompts clarity into the what, why and how of your personal and occupational lives. Considering how fogged up our brains are, such lucidity is vital for decision-making.
We all need to just look at the wall sometimes, or pace around the room with our thoughts. In a randomised state. That’s when the pieces re-align kaleidoscopically.
HERE’S A SECRET….
You will not be able to cope up with this ‘routine’ initially but stay focused long enough and you will enter a state of bliss. Cross this stage, and the magic show will truly start after that. You will want more of it. One hundred and twenty minutes will not satisfy you. You will want to exercise more, read more, write more, enjoy the simple pleasures of life more. Where will you make time for it? By staying away from unnecessary tech and wasteful activities. You will be surprised how much of your time was being taken up by stuff that barely matters.
DO IT BECAUSE YOU CAN…
Before I end, I will give you one more reason to adopt this approach: Because you can. There are hundreds of millions, or even billions, who don’t have the means, the luxury, the conditions or even the literacy to do some or any of this. But YOU do. So make the most of your privilege. And then help others.