How “Reverse Meditation” Tricked Me Into Being More Productive and Mindful

Taking a tried and true method of relaxation and turning it on its head

Photo by David Brooke Martin on Unsplash

There’s been a boom in recent years around meditation. People have realized that it’s an excellent practice for mental and physical health. Apps like Calm, Headspace, and 10% Happier have become wildly popular in the past 5 years, all due to the positive buzz around meditation. It’s been a vindication of the idea that sitting and doing nothing for some period of time is highly beneficial.

But there’s one huge problem: meditation is difficult and frustrating.

The trouble most people have with meditation is that the mind is so hard to calm down and sit with. For most of us, it’s always churning — always thinking of something else. There’s worry, anxiety, planning, fantasizing — it’s all there in waves that seem to wait for us to sit down and try not to think.

But what if instead of getting frustrated at that, and giving up on meditation, we used it to our advantage? What if you could use your overactive mind that seems not to want to meditate, and get it to benefit you? I believe you can.

Recently, I’ve adopted another practice that helps me to both be more mindful, and also be more productive and…