Three Stupid Rituals That Changed My Life

As long as I remember, I have always believed that if I want something hard enough, I will achieve it. Essentially, if I work hard at anything, I should be able to have mastery over it.

Of course, this way of thinking has not always served me well. In fact, it has led to a lot of disappointment and frustration in my life. I am not naturally gifted at everything I try, and no amount of wishing or willing can change that.

Self doubt crept in; and eventually what started as a fun joy ride, because a daily battle of me versus me.

Silencing the constant chatter in the mind became a necessity, and not a luxury. And I am sure, we all know, if you’re stuck in a negative thought loop, it can be tough to see things clearly.

But then, how did I get out of that circus?

I found three very rudimentary rituals – nothing fancy, nothing with jazz. Here are my three stupid rituals, that actually work!

Non-negotiable ME Time

If you let the world, it will run your life by its own clock. Everything has a false sense of immediateness and the toxic hustle culture just makes us run like headless chicken! And long before, you realise that your life and the delicate moments has passed by.

We often take on more than we can chew, just because we don’t want to disappoint people. But in the process, we end up disappointing ourselves. It is important to know your limitations and respect them.

For most, our lives are running on some else clocks. We are constantly in flux, moving from deadlines to deadlines.

You need to find time for yourself, things that make you happy and fulfilled. It could be anything from reading, gardening, cooking or working out. 

Action Item – even if it is for 30 minutes, you need to find that time for yourself. This is truly my non-negotiable ritual; and if you ask me, this is the most vital one.

Brain Is Not For Remembering

We treat our brains like huge memory banks and have grossly overestimated its (hence our own) capabilities to store and recollect information. Look, even if I talk biologically, our brains have developed for cognition, correlation & processing of all the inputs it gets from various body parts. Simple put, it is a processing unit! 

Our brain can only process a certain amount of information at any given time. When you try to hold on to too many thoughts, your brain becomes overloaded and starts to shut down. This is why you feel scattered, confused, and stressed.

When you let your brain do what it is supposed to do, it works in a smooth flow. Your brain is not a computer, it cannot store an infinite amount of data.

Action Item – prioritise brain usage for processing only; for memory or recollection use dumps. For daily life, just use a notepad & pen; write down everything you want to remember. 

Phone Is Not First Priority

We all love to check our phones first thing in the morning; after all who doesn’t love to see a lovely message, couple of likes or even some new pictures on social media. But here’s the thing — you are setting (unconsciously!) the precedent that your phone is more important than anything else in your life, including your own mind & body.

When you look at your phone first thing in the morning, you’re exposed to a barrage of information; and that is certainly a surefire way to set a tone for the rest of the day.

Also, the phone creates a false sense of urgency – you will feel the need to respond to that text or email right away. 90% of the times – it can wait.

Waiting until later in the day to check your phone gives you time to ease into your day and get yourself into a positive headspace before dealing with the outside world.

Action Item – for the first hour after you wake up, do something creative. May be writing or reading; you can never go wrong with meditation. Or just a good old run!

These small practices will significantly improve your productivity and stress levels; I say this from my experience. 

Let me know if any of these helped you as well.