Easy mindfulness tricks to add to your daily routine

When you're living a busy lifestyle, it can be difficult to stop and appreciate the good things in life. Being mindful of your surroundings can help you feel less stressed during busy times, but it's difficult to practice mindfulness if you aren't used to it. Here are some easy tricks you can use to be more mindful in your daily life. 

Use a gratitude journal

One of the easiest ways to appreciate the good things in life is to write them down. When you take the time to journal about something, it helps your brain fully process it. Keeping a gratitude journal and writing in it at the end of each day is a good way to get in a positive mindset before you go to bed, which will carry over into a great start the next day.

Put your phone away when you're waiting

Throughout the day, there are many instances when we need to wait around for something - waiting for the subway, waiting for food at a restaurant, waiting for a meeting to start. It's tempting to pull out your phone, but try to keep your phone in your pocket and focus on your surrounds instead. You might even end up having a good conversation with someone nearby. 

Practice meditative activities

Meditation is widely accepted as one of the easiest ways to be mindful. If you enjoy traditional forms of meditation, try to practice them daily, and focus on relieving stress. A good place to start is by using a meditation app such as Calm or Headspace.

However, if you don't enjoy meditating, there are a variety of other activities that have meditative properties. For example, colouring is a fun and creative activity that can feel very meditative. Yoga is another practice that has components of meditation but is also a great workout. 

Don't multitask

Multitasking is one of the biggest mindfulness killers. It may feel like you're getting more done when you multitask, but it typically just leaves us feeling overwhelmed. Instead, focus on one activity at a time and give it your full energy. 

Looking for an easy way to stay mindful? Check out Mål Paper's productivity and gratitude journal, the Daily Goal Setter, which guides you through daily goal setting, gratitude, and other mindfulness practices.