How to be in the PRESENT!

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In my last blog – What is the colour of your SU-SU?, I had shared about a conversation I had with my son as we were going off to sleep. It was about how in the in the rut-of-life we are running everywhere and not being attentive to the present.

I had ended the blog by saying that we need to be in the present to not be absent minded. I was to share a few ways of staying in the present. Here are the things we can (or should) do to increase our awareness –

1. One thing at a time – One of the biggest issues humanity seems to be facing currently is that there are too many things to do – at work, at home, with friends and families, children, socializing, and so much more. Under these broad categories, there are many more sub-categories. We seem to have so much on our head that we are always grappling with multiple tasks to be done at the same time

It’s not surprising at all that we tend to forget more, become less efficient at tasks, seem to have very little time left in the day, and feel that the day just zoomed by.

The only way out is to do one thing at a time, and with complete focus. Specially those tasks which are super important, need creative inputs, and those are very crucial for your future building.

• Prioritize – Continuing with the above point – while it is important to do one thing at a time, yet there are tasks to be completed. It needs us to prioritize. There will be tasks which are urgent and need immediate attention. Those are obviously to be given priority.

Then there are tasks which are important but not really urgent. They can wait a little. Finally, there are tasks, which make you feel good, but are not really important, neither urgent. These are the tasks which can definitely be postponed, inspite of we loving to do them.

Generally, we come to a stage where tasks to be done are more and time is limited. It is during those times when we really need to start choosing and prioritizing.

• Support System – If you are feeling short of time over and over again, it is very clear that you need support. It can be at home, at office, in team, at your foundation, within the group, and so on.

The tasks at hand can become overwhelming if there is too much to do. We know that if we do that task ourselves, the output will be brilliant. But when we don’t get time to do those tasks, we end up feeling frustrated and irritated. That’s when a support system help. They might not be as good or efficient like you, but it is time to share your responsibilities to someone.

The important thing is mentally be at peace with the compromised output, and explore who can be your support system.

• Learn to switch off – We have become so used to continuously keep doing things that we have forgotten to just relax. We want to be everywhere and do everything. We don’t want to delegate either. We just want to be occupied. Somehow people feel excited when they don’t get time to even breathe.

But that’s now what life is meant to be. One is supposed to pause every now and then and then continue. Life is like riding on the road. Every time there is a red signal, we stop and then continue. That’s exactly how we can live a meaningful life.

It is worth thinking – When was the last time that you switched off your mobile phone and just gazed at the sky; watched the trees sway; get mesmerized by the way birds soar in the sky; watch expressions of your child when they are telling stories; listen to your favourite music with closed eyes; sip a cup of tea sitting in the balcony; or doing anything that you love to do!

• Meditation – This is one of the most important ways to keep the mind in check. While meditation has many ways, methods, and practices, the way of doing this is sitting with eyes closed and minimize the thoughts. The lesser thoughts we have, better the control over mind and hence improved focus.

There is no right or wrong way of meditation. Whatever works for you is the right method. The important thing is to take time out for sitting for meditation every day. When we keep doing it for few months that’s when the mind settles down and helps us stay in present.

There are certainly few more things that can help us stay in the present. The above 5 are the most obvious and imperative ones. Which one to give more priority and which one lesser sheerly depends upon an individual. What can work for you might not work for me. It is a completely personal choice.

I would urge you to choose just ONE of the above and practice it for a month. Once you have got hang of it, add another month, then another one! Even adding two of the above will show you amazing results!

As humans, we are meant to be in present most of the times of our lives. The more alert we are, the better quality of life, and more efficiency. I will not be surprised if you are surprised at the additional time you get every day sheerly by staying in present!

Isn’t it funny that when we were in school, teachers used to check our attentiveness by calling out our names, and we had to reply PRESENT MAM/ SIR! Was it was to check whether we are mentally present or not?