Looking for a quick guide to learn how to practice mindfulness when you’re busy? Let me break down simple strategies to make it work for you.

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Few things were as badass as watching Qui-Gon Jinn decide to just chill out in the middle of an epic lightsaber duel to sit down and get his mindfulness on during the final scenes of The Phantom Menace.

That takes a whole lotta dedication to the craft of being a Jedi Master.

Of course, it didn’t really pay off and he got gutted by Darth Maul––a.k.a, the stabby Sith who should’ve had a much bigger role in the prequel trilogy––but alas, the idea was that Qui-Gon was definitely one with The Force.

In order for all of us to make it through life with some sliver of sanity, we must all find that relationship with The Force, too. And the best way to achieve this is through regular mindfulness.

No. This is not some going to be all about some stupid tree-hugging uber hippie bullshit. It’s a practice that all of us should be taking on daily to ensure a well-balanced mind and less stressful life. Even when the schedule is slammed and time is limited.

In fact, I’d argue that it’s even more important to practice mindfulness when you’re busy.

If you are reading the knowledge bombs I drop here on the regular, then you already know how important it is to hone your craft in the gym and get some exercise to stay in shape.

Well, you should view meditation as a workout for the brain.

Just like we don’t need to be in Chris Evans shape before the next Captain America, we also don’t need to be all Yoda-like with our mindful approach to life.

But, incorporating a mindfulness routine really can improve your life in many ways.

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Why it’s even more important to practice mindfulness when you’re busy

Mindfulness lowers stress

Taking a break from the day-to-day stress of life to focus on breathing and clearing out the clutter of our minds can greatly reduce stress levels and lower the production of the stress hormone cortisol.

In our current societal grind of the push and pull from work, social and family lives, the reduction of cortisol is in itself worth the price of admission to the mindfulness game.

Mindfulness makes you a better person

If you are more in touch with your day-to-day feelings and moods through mindfulness, it’ll allow you to control your temper a little better. Your coworkers, spouse and kids will thank you.

Mindfulness supports your weight-loss goals

Reducing stress helps to lower the negative impact of too much cortisol in the body. Higher levels of this stress-inducing hormone are associated with higher body fat levels. Simply put: lowering stress reduces cortisol and increases your body’s ability to burn more fat.

In addition, the ability to be more mindful in the moment can help improve decision-making and reduce the negative affects of falling into temptation. When that donut is calling your name and you’re trying to stick to your weight loss plan, having more mental control is the key to victory.

Mindfulness improves sleep

According to a University of Utah study, mindfulness helps us to better control our emotions and moods, and in doing so it allows for a more peaceful sleep since we’re able to deactivate and calm down quicker to wrap up the day.

And some of the most successful and most productive people on the planet all have some form of a ritual to find introspection and clear the mind:

• Oprah practices 20-30 minutes of meditation every morning;
• Tim Ferriss utilizes daily meditation before getting his day started;
• Good Morning America Weekend Edition anchor, Dan Harris, wrote a book all about meditation and how the daily practice helped him overcome depression and anxiety.

It doesn’t have to be about opening up your Chakra or going to far away lands of excellence and finding your spirit animal to join in unison of spiritual acceptance. It can be solely about stepping away from the grind to just take a breather.

The key is to find a system that works best for you.

How to practice mindfulness when you’re busy

Find some time in your day and commit to that shit like you would any other important item on your calendar.

We’re looking for the bare minimum here of 5-10 minutes. If you can’t find this small amount of time in a 24-hour day, you are doing something vastly wrong, my friend.

Get up 10 minutes earlier. Turn off the TV. Actually focus on your work at the office and stop gossiping so you can leave at a normal time and recapture some personal time back in your day.

For most people, the most convenient time tends to be in the morning for the mindfulness rituals and habits.

Personally, I pop up out of bed around 5:00 a.m. every single day. It’s dark. It’s quiet. It’s a perfect time for me to focus on what is important and I can do so with zero distractions or obligations to certain miniature family members.

I start by meditating for about 10-15 minutes before I sit back and collect my thoughts in my journal for another 5-10 minutes. I wrote about the importance of journaling right here.

With my mind cleared and focused on the important things in life, I’m free to enjoy my day with my brain dialed in and ready to create. From there, I’ll settle down in front of my laptop and start banging out content (like the awesomeness you see on this website).

All of this happens before my kids pop their heads up looking for breakfast. If all else fails and nothing else gets accomplished in my day, I’ve at least hammered out some writing and mindfulness that has me productive.

Morning seems to work best for me. It may be a middle of the day for some. It could be the end of the day for others.

Doesn’t matter when you practice mindfulness. It just matters that you find the time.

Once you’ve found that time, fit it into your schedule like that important conference call. When we slate out our schedules and program that shit in there, it actually leads to more freedom. Counterintuitive, I know.

But, once we start slotting time for the most important tasks of the day, if gives us a better sense of how to tackle things more efficiently and more consistently.

You never skip that weekly meeting with a client, do you? Why? Because it’s loaded into your schedule with 15 reminders about the upcoming sit down.

Do the same with your wellness and mindfulness routines. Schedule that shit, even if it is just five minutes per day, into your calendar and don’t reschedule, cancel or skip this appointment for any reason.

Once you’ve found that time of day that works best for you. Get comfortable.

Find a quiet space in the house. Sit still and upright. Close your eyes. And just focus on your breathing.

Maybe set a timer on your phone (preferably with that phone on Airplane or “Do Not Disturb” mode) for about 10 minutes.

If your concentration breaks and you start thinking about why Voltron was the best cartoon from the 1980s … you’d be correct. But, you’d also not be failing by any means. Just redirect your focus back to the breathing whenever possible.

Make a small note of the fact that you thought about something and go right back to focusing on the in-and-out movement of the breath. Whether that be your tummy contracting or your nostrils accepting more oxygen into the system, whatever helps you turn attention to your inhalation and exhalation patterns, do exactly that.

Congratulations. You’ve completed a round of mindfulness. Couple that with a few minutes of writing in a journal and you might actually become a pretty awesome person after all.

This, of course, is some preliminary novice type bullshit. We want to eventually get to a Qui Gon or Yoda level of mindful mastery. But, even those Jedi Masters started as Padawans one day.

Don’t try to accomplish all of these feats in one sitting. Start small. Start with such a ridiculously simple task that it is inexcusable to miss it, almost downright embarrassing.

“I didn’t sit still for five minutes today. I was awake for 16 hours––that’s 960 minutes––and I couldn’t be bothered to chill for just five of those.”

Don’t be that dude. That dude thinks he’s too busy to improve himself through introspection. Or is too caught in the busy trap to realize that we aren’t not nearly as busy as we think we are. Or he’s just making excuses because the newborn cries a lot and he’s not used to rolling with those punches.

Take your mindfulness practice to the next level

Mindfulness can simply be taking time to be present in the moment. Instead of letting your thoughts drift to work tasks or social obligations, focus on what you are doing and where you are at this very moment.

Many don’t have the time to crank out a 30-minute meditation followed by 20 minutes of journaling only to round it out with 10 minutes of gratitude and affirmations. That’s an hour out of each day that could be better utilized working on projects, side hustles, fitness or even Netflix.

So how do you find the time to get right with the mind? It’s all in establishing simple and easy to manage habits that work into your own lifestyle.

Start small. Sure, 30 minutes of meditation is fantastic and will work wonders. But, 10 minutes of time spent in a quiet room with some deep breathing may be all you can do in a day. And that’s perfect.

• While washing the dishes (or performing any chores): think about the water and soap on your hands and really focus on each and every movement you are performing.
• On the commute: unplug the ear buds or turn off the radio to take in the environment; listen to the sounds of your journey and think about this exact moment instead of what’s waiting for you at the end of your commute.
• Practice a brain dump: take out a pen and pad and spend 5-10 minutes just jotting down any thought that comes to mind; focus on clearing out all of the clutter in your head so you can decompress.

Mindfulness can still be practiced during the day at the office, too.

Instead of cranking out non-stop hours of emails and calls and work requirements, schedule in some regular breaks to work in a few minutes of sitting upright, in a quiet space and practice these breaths.

Again, set a timer on your phone or schedule it into your calendar.

These regular mental breaks act as a snack for the mind. It’s like when your sugar is low and you want to reach for a (healthy) snack to boost you through the next few hours until dinnertime.

These regular mental breaks recharge the body and prep it to get back to the business of being focused and creative.

We train our muscles. We train our cognitive abilities to accomplish work throughout the day. We even train our skills to deal with the daily rigors of parenting and relationships.

But, setting time for ourselves will modify and improve the ability to perform optimally in all of the above tasks.

Photo by Indian Yogi (Yogi Madhav) on Unsplash

Let me help you learn how to practice mindfulness when you’re busy … 

I’m here to help you out. 

If you have any questions, reach out. I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “Mindfulness for Busy People” and I’ll answer any questions you have to make this work for you.

Or you can hit me up anytime on the socialz on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

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