How To Incorporate Habits & Rituals Into A Busy Working Lifestyle

I received an email from a  community member who’s part of our  global community named Lily and she asked me:

“How can I start to incorporate habits and rituals into my busy working lifestyle?”

Here’s my answer…

Rituals are something we all do – without even thinking. For example, you, me, and everyone has a morning ritual.

Mine looks like this – I wake up, get out of bed, go straight to my bathroom, void my bladder, wash my hands, and brush my teeth. Then I go into the kitchen, prepare my coffee, go into my office, turn on my Himilayan salt lamp, light a candle, say a quick prayer to open my work day, and check my emails. After I’ve worked for about 1 hour, I get up, put on my workout clothes and go work out. Then I shower and get dressed for the day (purification by water).

Simply put:

• A ritual is a series of steps that you follow with intention.
• A habit is something you do over and over unconsciously thinking about it, and therefore is hard to stop.

Most of us lead very busy lives… so adding in a new ritual or habit can seem like a tall order. I’m sure we all have thought, “Where can I find the time needed to add any more to my day?”

The truth is, adding a spiritual practice or ritual into your life need not take a lot of your time, especially at the beginning. Here are some steps to help you begin a daily practice of incorporating habits and rituals into your busy life.

Choose One Thing At A Time

It’s very important to start slow and add manageable and realistic practices into your life a little at a time. If you’re like me, your energy and time is already spread thin, leaving you with very little time to add to your already hectic schedule.

Focus on adding one change at a time.

Take Baby Steps

Taking on big change all at once can lead to frustration, and make it difficult to accomplish your goal. Starting small is the best way to ensure success.

Taking baby steps helps you narrow your focus, allowing you to put all your energy and power into that one bit-sized goal.

You will gain momentum as you build one habit at a time. The small success can then build to bigger successes in the future.

Remember, the tortoise wins the race!

Anchor The New Habit

We all have habits. If you think about it, your day is a succession of habit after habit, all strung together. Use the habits you currently have in place to help you create new ones.

So, when creating a new habit, just anchor the new habit to one of your existing habits. Let’s use morning meditation as an example. If you already have the habit of waking up to an alarm clock every morning, you can anchor the new habit of meditating right after you hear your alarm clock go off.

In time you will associate meditation with waking up in the morning. Waking up with your alarm clock becomes the trigger.

You’ve just anchored a new habit.

Do It Every Day For Two Lunar Cycles

Studies have proven that it takes time to create a new habit. The exact amount of time differs from person to person and the habit they choose but according to a 2009 study from University College, London it takes approximately 66 days. Repetition and giving yourself time to adjust are the main factors in forming a new behavior pattern.

You must be mindful to work on the new, desired habit every day. If you slip up just start again the next day. Whatever you do, don’t give up and scrap the whole thing!

Give yourself two complete lunar cycles, approximately 60 days of repeating the process to create your new habit.

Some Quick, Simple Ritual Ideas

Meditate And Set An Intention For Your Day

Start with 3 minutes every morning. Once you get in the habit of 3 minutes of meditation, start bumping the length of time up by 1 minute extra per week until you reach a total of 10 minutes of morning meditation. You can use this time to set your daily intention and connect with gratitude. Don’t forget to set your alarm clock for 10 minutes earlier to make the time! Rushing around like a mad woman afterwards defeats the purpose!

Light A Devotional Candle Before You Begin Your Work Day

Lighting a candle and setting an intention for your day feels beautiful and sacred. If you’re pressed for time, light a birthday candle, they burn down super-quick. I use tealights most of the time, they take about 2 hours to burn out. If it feels right to you, light a candle on an altar and to the God or Goddess of your choice. I have a devotional altar to Aphrodite in my bedroom and I’m currently working with goddess Athena and god Dionysus on my main altar.

Charm Your Car Before Driving

One of my spiritual teachers taught me this quick and easy charm that I say before I put my car in drive. I’m still not perfect at remembering to do it every time, but it’s fine… for me it’s about continuing the practice until it’s integrated into my doings without thinking! First I start up my car, then I say out loud:

“Shields, Angels, Lions, Dragons”

Then I knock on my steering wheel three times. I envision shields covering my car like armor, angels flying at all four corners of my bumpers, two lions running on either side, and four dragons flying above me; one in front, one in back and one on either side.

Bless Your Food Before Taking Your First Bite

Giving thanks before eating is a beautiful way to raise your vibration and feel gratitude. Before you take your first bite, say or think to yourself, “thank you”.

Use A Charm To Ease Cravings

I’ve never met a woman that didn’t have a craving from time to time! Carrying a piece of staurolite in your pocket eases minor cravings.

Use A Charm To Boost Your Creativity

Carry a piece of citrine and orange calcite when you need a creative boost. They are connected to the Muses and will help you get in the creative flow. Orange is the color that corresponds to the Second Chakra (your creativity and pleasure center).

Encourage More Money To Flow In

I keep all of my paper bills in numerical order from larger bills in the back to one dollar bills in front, and each bill faces forward in my wallet. I take the time when handed money to fix and organize my money on the spot. Money is energy and should be given the respect it deserves.

I also say “thank you” when I both pay for something and when I’m given money back as change from a purchase or as a gift.

As you can see, adding a little magic into your daily life doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time. It’s actually really simple … a bunch of little things you do every day that together add up to a magical life!