The Curious Case of Habits and Routines

I know it is difficult to feel grateful at a time when the moment you get out of your bubble, you see fear, panic and a whole range of negative emotions. I know a smile doesn’t come naturally when we see so much struggle and insecurities around us. I know feeling hopeful is not easy when life has been turned upside down with no immediate relief in sight.

But, can we get stuck in this spiral of doom & gloom?

What purpose would that serve?

What can I do to make use of my time?

These were exactly my thoughts and the questions I asked myself in first week of isolation. Actually it was second week for me because I had started my isolation a week before official announcement. It was clear to me that if I let myself mope around, I will get really good at it, but if I do something better, I will get good at that too. So, I chose to focus on myself.

I have been passionate about Personal Branding for a while, so I started working on it. I feel my days are getting better, just today I caught myself daydreaming about moving to a place very serene and beautiful. It made me realize I have started liking the isolation.

So, what did I do to make this comfortable for me? Well, I went back to basics. And that is when it occur to me that a write-up on the same could actually help others struggling with their routine and also those who wish to start again.  Let me share a few actionable items that could be a starting point and my not take a good part of anyone’s day.

1. Daily writing – I start with just writing a couple of minutes at once to put down the thoughts on paper. I usually write on loose papers, making it easy to sort out. So, every 3rd day I sort the papers – discarding the negative ones, storing the positive ones and writing down the new productive ideas in my workbook.

Now, how does this help?

It is like sharing with a friend: It helps you think and then discard negative thoughts to find a solution (ray of sunshine on gloomy days) or just vent out and forget about it.

Start by writing down whatever you are feeling, thinking, wondering about. Sort them in your own categories and use them accordingly.

2. Meditation– I know very cliché thing to say, right? Well, I understand not everyone can sit for too long, you might not have time, too much noise etc. A lot of reasons to not be able to meditate in a traditional way. I find my mind wandering too much in silence.

So, the technique is, find a song which brings out strong emotions, any positive emotion – just play the song on repeat and focus on it for as long as you can focus and avoid negativity.

You can find your own song, a book, a movie, a poem … anything that helps you be in that moment, feeling something positive. It helps by shifting your mood and also ground you so you can focus.

3. Visualization for Goal Setting – We spoke about building the mental and emotional state in first two points, the reason is, if you are in a good mood your vision for future is brighter.

Now, let’s talk about your goals. What do you want to do? The isolation is temporary, what about after this? The career, hobby, interests, your dream life will not change because of a temporary situation. Yes, there will be adjustments.

So, bring out the pen and paper and get writing your dreams, aspirations, goals and this time, and do add milestones & timelines.

This will give you the hope and something to do while you are waiting for the rest of the world to open their arms to your dreams – do start the activities that you can start working on from home.

So, these are my three suggestions that you can start with. These will help you know, understand and build on your own personality, your strengths & weaknesses and also your dreams.

More on this soon!

(Meet the Kaurs : Well, that’s how me and Tarundeep were introduced to each other, by a common friend who knew my work and purpose, that coursed out to be a friendship in the making. Our thoughts do align at various levels and Tarundeep’s expertise in marketing brings a fresh breadth of creativity in our ideas and work.

While she shared her article, I realised that I personally have Empretec India Foundation to thank too where I actually not only found my missing link but also understood the importance of habit formation along-with an inspiring and motivating team of entrepreneurs. The platform where the very thought of sharing this series with all came into existence.

And with this…we bring to you the Building Blocks that framed our journey.

MAY we learn and grow together.)