ANCIENT RITUALS AND HOW TO BIOHACK IN THE TIME OF COVID
Us humans are clever, crafty animals. Almost from the moment that we could, we have been trying to figure out how we can do things better, smarter, more efficiently. You don’t have to know me well to know that I love all things ancient history. The ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians hold a very special place in my heart.
If you do know me well, you’ll also know that I have a love for all things start-up, including how to cultivate a start-up way of thinking. One of the things that makes me love the path that I am on now that embraces a meditators mind is that these two things work exceptionally well together. This is what I want to talk about today. You see it may come as no surprise that lockdown, kids, study and working can make many of us dizzy, wobbly and often leave us feeling that we aren’t achieving anything. This then sparks up the negative thought-patterns and awakens that inner dialogue of self-loathing, you know, that really, really mean inner voice. For me, momentum needs momentum. Sitting in a space where things slow right down, the to-list becomes out of control and our list of achievements becomes non-existent, this space feels mighty uncomfortable. So, what to do. I’m going to share with you some of the hacks that I’ve found that have helped me do a 180 spin. I can get my head in the game, make friends with the nasty little mean voice (well, at the very least tame it!), drop the guilt and actually get things done. This is for anyone that is finding it a little tough at the moment. The mum juggling it all, the working from home that are being driven mad, the desperately trying to study but can’t read a single sentence and everyone in between.
Bodha is one of my favourite brands for creating scented rituals.
SCENT MATTERS
Have you ever noticed that a smell can immediately transport you back in time to a memory. Even one that you thought you had forgotten? Scent is incredibly powerful and has been used throughout human history to mentally engage us. If you learn to use scent and to include it in your daily habits / rituals you can immediately get yourself into the headspace that you need to. Candles and incense often get dismissed as hippy or spiritual tools. Maybe they are thought of as luxurious feminine objects that couldn’t possible have any use in the modern workplace - wrong. If you use a daily scent, the same scent at the same time of day or with the same daily task, neural pathways will start to form. I like to use many different forms to spark up different neural pathways when I need to engage my brain. I use incense to tell me that the day is starting. I use oils for tricky tasks that I need to boost up my mental capacity. I boil orange skins in the kitchen to boost my mood if i need to.
How To Use Scent:
know the task that you need to complete
Add a fragrance that you will use for that alone
Use it to signal the beginning or the end of the day (this one is huge, Gabby Bernstein inspired me to do this in a podcast!)
Enjoy it and experiment!
PLAYLIST YOUR WAY THROUGH THE DAY
Ok, you know those tricky tasks that you need to timebox. There is a definite beginning, middle and end? Add a little music and watch everything flow. I have used a playlist to get the kids ready since they were super tiny. It’s the same playlist, it gets played the same time everyday (weekday or weekend) and they know what tasks go hand in hand with this playlist. Cleaning, dressing, tidying - boom! Ready for the day. I don’t play this playlist outside this time or for other things. It’s created a groovy but strong neural pathway for them and me that helps to introduce fun, not screaming. As we get close to the finish line I can use an individual song to quicken the pace “I bet you can’t be ready by the time this song finishes!”. It’s made things so much less stressful and we all know that play is the strongest motivator.
In my humble opinion, this playlist on Spotify from Zoe Foster Blake is the best playlist ever created to get kids going in the morning - as it says on the tin, you won’t even hate it!
Ok, what about dreaded data entry? I used to do this all the time, and now I have reintroduced this for creating meditation courses. I find music that I can put on, throw the headphones one and get into flow. I use Enigma - it’s not in English, it’s a little fun and I save it for things that have deadlines. I know others use everything from trance, techno to heavy metal, whatever works. The rules, you can’t listen to this music outside the task you need it to work for. If you need to concentrate, then make sure it doesn’t have lyrics that your brain will seek out (if you don’t need to fully engage your brain the hey, a power ballad could have your name all over it).
DIGITAL DETOX
The digital world is all around us, it’s part of modern life. Personally, I’m all for it. I couldn’t do the things that I want to without it. However, and this is a big however, be aware of whether you are using it, or it is using you. We all know that smart devices are potent things but have you factored that into your day? We know the, turn your phone onto flight mode for sleep or if you don’t want to be disturbed. How many businesses have the lockbox for the phone that rings loudly during a meeting or presentation (or if left at the desk unattended!). Our devices do stop us from being able to concentrate. Its a fact that we don’t need to debate or state the study that declares this loudly. What we do need to do is work out what we need to do to give our brains a little focus. You see, out of sight truly is out of mind for these clever little devices.
FEEL THE PART
My courage boosting jumpsuit from Karen Walker - you are welcome!
It’s easy to wake up each morning, throw the same active wear on day after day (ahem that’s if you lose the PJ’s at all!) but if you are living in lockdown or working from home is your new norm then take some time to give yourself separation. Wear different clothes when you are working compared to when you are fully off. Clothes really, really do have an impact on how we feel. Use this to your advantage. I’ve got a denim jumpsuit that pull out when I need to boost my courage levels. I also use bright colours and animal print in the same way. Figure out your very own uniform and try it for a couple of weeks.
CARVE OUT YOUR SPACE
This has probably been the biggest shift for me. I’ve gotten used to doing snippets of work whenever I can. This has meant that if I’m working from my bed, kitchen or sofa, so be it. On one level, I’m all for this, after all, small spaces of time are better than waiting for one perfect, giant time slot - it never happens. I have found though that if I figure out little spaces where I don’t associate rest with, if I want to work then I can quickly hack into the headspace I need the most. I dug out a little plastic crate and I’ve filled this with my work stuff, notebook, pencil case, books I may need and throw the laptop or tablet in and I can quickly shuffle to the space that I need and quickly get down to work.
MY MIRACLE MORNING
Lastly, I’ve created my own miracle morning. This is my morning routine that I use daily and it will set me up no matter what kind of day I have ahead of me. One of the biggest surprises for me, although it shouldn’t be as I was aware of this, was the meditators mind was about being in the driver’s seat, not the passengers. This phrase is used in so many different fields. At its core, you are shifting yourself from reaction to action. When motivation is low, or you get distracted by things that you should do as you walk from one room to the next (this is me, a daily deranged pigeon if I don’t take time for my miracle morning!) then create your miracle morning. These are all built on science foundations. There is proof that these all work. If you have an open mind, try things repeatedly until you settle on what works for you, I promise, how you move through the day will change for the better. It’s almost impossible not to. You can’t control things that happen, however you can control how you react. As with any muscle though, you need to strengthen it. Here is my miracle morning in a nutshell:
make the bed, always, always make the bed. You start the day achieving something.
I journal. I now ask each morning what are the only 3 things that matter to me. What will my future self thank me for doing and what my intention is - i can use this to guide what I do, does it fit with my three big rocks? Does it fit the intention that I made? Write this down. To really give this power I light incense before I sit down and write and I always do this with a decaf coffee - the smell motivates me but I don’t need the caffeine hit at that time in the morning (more on caffeine later).
I visualise if I have something meaty that makes me uncomfortable.
Pre-kids I’d meditate but because I can’t stop time, I do this at lunch. If you can squeeze in a meditation your brain will thank you for it!
Lastly, I get sun as early as I can. This doesn’t have to be complicated and I pair things when I can. I write in my journal in the sunniest spot in the house with the door or window open, or I sit outside and write.
Some important notes. These are all very short tasks, they are designed to be and many can be grouped together. It’s taken me a lot of time to work out what works for me and to combine them the right way. They also shift if I need. I even include things that I don’t need to tick off as such like a burst of exercise as I know I do this to get the kids ready (I’m actually lucky no-one can see this process as it’s noisy, energetic and doesn’t include a lot of dignity - these are perhaps the reasons I love them!).
In summary, if you want to push yourself forward when you are struggling having rituals to help you is the easiest way to do them. I love the connection between the ancient world and our modern world and it sparks a little joy when I do these things. I encourage you to do the same. Find what works for you and tweak until it fits. Doing nothing may feel easier, afterall who has time?! If you don’t try find your biohacks, you will definitely struggle to find the time.