Putting It All Together: Two Sample Meditation Routines
Theory is helpful, but seeing these principles in action makes them real. Here are two simple, prose-based examples of how you could design a meditation habit into your life. Notice how each one includes a cue, a reduced-friction environment, a minimum viable action, and a clear reward.
Example 1: The Evening Wind-Down
Sarah works in a fast-paced marketing job in the city and struggles to switch off her brain at night. Her goal is to create a moment of calm before bed. Her identity goal is to be “a person who can let go of the day’s stress.”
Her Routine Design: Her existing habit is brushing her teeth before bed. She decides to use habit stacking. Her new rule is: “After I finish brushing my teeth, I will walk to the armchair in my bedroom and meditate.” To reduce friction, she has created a dedicated space. The armchair is always clear, with a small, comfortable cushion on it. She makes a rule to leave her phone charging in the kitchen, increasing friction for mindless scrolling in bed. Her minimum viable action (MVA) is to simply sit in the chair and take three slow, deep breaths, feeling her feet on the floor. On most nights, she feels good after those three breaths and decides to continue for a few more minutes, listening to a short guided meditation. But even on nights when she is exhausted, she always does her three breaths. The immediate reward is the physical sensation of her shoulders dropping and her jaw unclamping—a tangible release of tension that helps her sleep better.
Example 2: The Morning Focus Primer
David is a freelance writer who finds it difficult to start his workday without first getting lost in emails and news headlines. His goal is to begin his day with intention and clarity. His identity goal is to be “a writer who is focused and present in his work.”
His Routine Design: His most ingrained morning habit is making coffee. His habit stack is: “While my coffee is brewing, I will sit at the kitchen table and do my focus practice.” This is the perfect cue because the five-minute brew time is a contained, predictable window. To reduce friction, he keeps his kitchen table clear of mail and other clutter. His phone remains on the counter, out of arm’s reach. His MVA is to close his eyes and focus on a single sense for 60 seconds. Sometimes he listens to the sounds of the house waking up; other times he focuses solely on the rich aroma of the brewing coffee. This tiny act of single-tasking is a powerful primer for the deep work he needs to do. The reward is twofold: first, the immediate feeling of being grounded, and second, the longer-term benefit he notices of being able to settle into his writing projects more quickly, with less procrastination.
