“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
Buddha
There is only one time and place where you can be and have any control over.
The present moment.
But most of us still spend a lot of our regular days lost in memories, reliving a sunny vacation or maybe more commonly repeating an old conflict or negative situation over and over in our thoughts.
Or we get lost in scenarios about what could happen in the future. Maybe through wishful daydreams.
Or maybe by building monsters in our minds as thoughts go round and and round and create scary and dangerous mountains out of molehills or just air.
Or your thoughts may become split and unfocused between several different things and tasks.
If you spend a lot of your everyday moments and time in the future or the past or you have difficulty focusing and you feel this may have a negative effect on your life then maybe you want to learn to live more in the present moment.
Here’s what works for me to do that. Just a few simple things that I use in my normal day.
1. Single-task not only your work.
I and many others have often written and talked about the importance of single-tasking your work to get it done more effectively.
I have found that it becomes easier for me to stay present for more time throughout my day if I single-task everything as best I can.
That means to not use tabs when I browse the internet but to just be fully engaged with one thing online at a time. It means to not use my smartphone or my computer as I also try to watch the TV.
Or to use any of those internet-devices during a conversation.
Get a good start to your day and set the tone for it by doing one thing at a time as soon as you wake up.
If you have to multitask, then try to set off some specific time for it during your day. Maybe an hour or so in the afternoon.
2. Do it slowly.
When you wake up and starting doing your first thing of the day, then slow it down a bit.
Do it and the next few things at a relaxed and calm pace. It will probably not take that much longer than if you do it quickly.
And you’ll be able to stay present more easily, to focus on each thing you do and to find a simple joy or stillness in it.
Do that instead of increasing your stress right away and getting stuck in worries or though loops about what may happen today before you even have had your breakfast.
And as you move through your day, try to do it slowly when you can.
3. Tell yourself: now I am…
As I do something I simply tell myself this in my mind: Now I am X.
For example, if I am brushing my teeth, then I tell myself: Now I am brushing my teeth.
This habit is maybe most important when doing things where it is easy to drift away to the future or past. It could be when you brush your hair or teeth or when you are taking a walk to the supermarket.
I don’t tell myself this line all the time, but I pepper it in a couple of times throughout my day.
4. Minimize what you let into your head early in the day.
If I check the email, Facebook and other websites online early in the day then I have found that I will have more thoughts bouncing around in my head.
And so it becomes a lot harder to concentrate on anything, to stay present and to not be dragged away into some negative thought loop.
So the kind option towards myself has become to not check anything early in the day. And to check things as few times as I can.
If I minimize such things then my day becomes lighter and simpler and I not only stay present more easily but I also tend to get more things of importance done.
5. No, no, no + reconnect with the here and now.
The four tips above make it easier to stay in the present moment and to use it and enjoy it fully.
But each day I still drift into the past or the future. Or my thoughts become split between different things.
If you have read any of my stuff on self-esteem then you know that I often use a stop-word or phrase to quickly disrupt and stop the inner critic or a damaging train of thought. I do the same thing here.
As quickly as I notice that my thoughts have drifted away I say to myself: No, no, no.
Then I quickly follow that up with focusing on just my breathing or just on what is happening around me right now with all my senses for a minute or two to draw myself back into this present moment.
Henrik Edberg is the creator of the Positivity Blog and has written weekly articles here since 2006. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Gothenburg and has been featured on Lifehacker, HuffPost and Paulo Coelho’s blog.
Comments on this entry are closed.
Wow – how true is this! I get stuck in my head everyday and I do believe it keeps me from living a more fulfilled life. I’m constantly thinking about what is next instead of what is now. I will try some of these techniques to stay present.
nice article, though i feel there are really no rules to life. situations present themselves in different ways and they relate to our psychology differently. i will try out these tips to see if it helps
Thank you Hendrik. Really love this one.
With respect to the ‘minimize what goes into your head’ section, I can say I’ve done something similar with great results.
I was a news hound. I checked Google news ten times a day.
Most news is negative. Murders, death, missing people.
So I just stopped, and I can honestly say it has improved my life 10 fold. You don’t realize how much negativity can affect your mindset. Now I can focus on important things like family and my life goals.
Great article.
I can relate to your comment, Brad. I use to have a site bookmarked that pertained to business, but, is more slick and sensational, kind of like the magazines you see at the checkout in the local supermarket. The comments to the stories I was interested in always had a negative bent and I found myself responding and thinking with a negative attitude. I have since removed the bookmark and no longer frequent the site, instead choosing to read books that reinforce a positive and nurturing mindset to enhance my growth.
Very interesting. Need to incorporate some of these ideas in my day – to day life. I espcially liked the part of switching off from the Smartphone in the morning. I tend to spend too much time on the phone in the morning when I am at breakfast.
These are some great tips. I have a hard time stating in the present and not letting my mind wander, and with an anxiety disorder, it can be a real problem. I am going to try all of these suggestions!
thank you very much,already you have contributed positive changes in my focus…keep on updating me.God blessed u.
I absolutely love it, a great reminder! And it helps to stay centered and calm during our hectic daily lifes, be aware of thr moment, the sounds, scents and feelings around us! Have a fabulous mindfull weekend everyone and thanks a bunch Henrik looking forward to the next positivity blog while I am enjoying this moment :)
Thank you so much for this article. It gave me some new ideas to consider and verified some things that I found for myself. For instance, after many years of buying in to the ideal of Multitasking, I realized that it is not a useful concept. I even redefined it in my own mind: Multitasking is Doing several things at once, poorly.
It is really encouraging i’ll put them into practise
Thanks again Henri for another great post. I struggle with staying in the present as there are so many other things going on all at once in my life. I am trying to remain focus but I am learning as I go.
I totally agree with you on starting slow in the mornings. I have a habit of reading my emails or headlines first thing and believe those information many times ruin my entire morning if I am not careful. I will leave them for later.
Thanks again.
IT IS REALLY A very good idea i will follow it definetly and try to be in present moment . i have seen so many people leave in their past or may be some think more about thier future
Hi, great article. I am always looking for ways to stay in the present. I’ve been doing number 3 for awhile now for anxiety. If I feel anxious, I ask myself, what is happening right now, what can I hear, see, etc. It really is helpful and does really lower anxiety.