Meditation

Last summer, as the likelihood that working from home was going to be part of our New Normal for the foreseeable future, I invested in a garden studio. Up until that point I had been working in what was effectively our house's extended porch, meaning my day was full of distractions and interruptions as other people came and went or deliveries arrived. A dedicated workspace, albeit at the end of the garden, would bring some welcome privacy and a chance to regain some focus.

Having my own space also meant that I had somewhere private to give meditation another go. I tried it before, years ago, and found it an effective way to start the day with a clear head and a relaxed sense of self, but living in a busy household made it difficult to find the time or space to sit quietly for several minutes every morning. And, since one of the benefits my company now offers is a free subscription to Headspace for all employees, it seemed like a good time to start again.

I find meditation to be similar to exercising or writing: you never really want to do it, but you always feel better after you have. I've made it part of my morning routine now, for fifteen or so minutes before starting work, and I can tell that it's beneficial by how annoyed I get at myself if I don't manage to fit it in for some reason that day. Headspace programs do a good job at avoiding the more hand-wavey, "healing crystals and ley lines" type of nonsense that some meditation advocates sometimes push–their guided meditation recordings are simple and pleasant to listen to (without sending you to sleep).

Sometimes I even catch myself doing the meditating-finger-touch thing.