#📓 #📄 #🟠 # From Autopilot to Awareness - Fields 2022 ![[calendar-plus.svg]] <small>Aug 15, 2023</small> | ![[calendar-clock.svg]] <small>Aug 15, 2023</small> 🏷[[mindfulness]] **Author(s):** [[Jonathan Fields]] **Citation:** Fields, J. (2022). *From autopilot to awareness: How do you get there?* Good Life Project. https://www.goodlifeproject.com/articles/from-autopilot-to-awareness/ --- # Abstract > [!important] Key Takeaways > - # Notes & Important Ideas ### Autopilot and Reactive - Easy to spend the day reacting to other people's plans for your day - Emails - Social media - To-do lists - Don't even stop to ask whether these things matter to you - You've been busy, but you're not sure what you actually accomplished ### Aware and Intentional - Choose how you want to wake up - Instead of alarm - a favorite song or playlist - Before getting out of bed, set an intention - Take actions that help your mind feel calm and focused - Meditate - Notice the wonderful feel of warm water in the shower - Tackle your #1 Win before you do anything else - Schedule time to check emails in batches, don't reply until you're ready - Pause regularly to notice the day around you - Take breaks to move - Ease into the evening with loved ones or on your own, physically and emotionally present - Reflect on your day before going to bed ### 3 components to second scenario #### 1. Awareness - Being aware is the master key > [!quote] Jonathan Fields > Before you can make intelligent decisions, before you can stop reacting and start acting, you need to *cultivate the ability to hit pause.* - Deliberately choose your actions based on awareness and intention #todo/create_note Create notes for each activity below as tools. ##### Use [[mindfulness]] to cultivate ability to turn off autopilot - Slow down, notice and see what is really happening in front of you in this moment - Steps to practicing mindfulness and becoming more persistently aware: 1. Find a comfortable place to sit with no distractions. Turn off all devices. 2. Sit with spine erect but not rigid, and your head sitting gently in a neutral position. 3. Your eyes may be closed or slightly open. 4. Take a few long, slow breaths to settle in and bring your attention to your breathing. 5. Notice the sensation of your breath as it enters your body. Feel it entering your nostrils. Feel your chest and belly gently expand as you inhale and relax down as you exhale. 6. After a few breaths, notice were it is easier to hold your attention, the sensation of breath as it enters your nose or the sensation of your body expanding and relaxing as you breathe. Then focus your awareness on whichever sensation is an easier anchor. 7. Breathe gently and relax, holding your attention to the sensation of your breath. 8. At a certain point, maybe just after a few seconds, your mind will wander to thoughts or emotions. That's perfectly natural. Notice that, too. Then, with your next exhalation, silently say, "Thinking," and let that thought ride out with the breath as you refocus your attention on the breath. This may happen hundreds of times, especially in the beginning, and it's all fine. 9. Just keep coming back to your breath, without judgement or expectation. ##### Go "push free" for 24 hours There’s a good chance you have your computer, phone, watch, and any other wired device set to automatically “push” notifications to you every time someone else wants to take control of your life via email, Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and more. Here’s your challenge: for a single day, turn off all automatic notifications on all devices. The more the thought of that gives you hives, the more reactive your life has become and the bigger the need to take it back. To become aware and choose.There’s a good chance you have your computer, phone, watch, and any other wired device set to automatically “push” notifications to you every time someone else wants to take control of your life via email, Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and more. Here’s your challenge: for a single day, turn off all automatic notifications on all devices. The more the thought of that gives you hives, the more reactive your life has become and the bigger the need to take it back. To become aware and choose. ##### Set awareness triggers Set your watch, fitness tracker, smart watch, or smartphone to trigger a vibration alert mid-morning, just after lunch, mid-afternoon, and late afternoon. For phones, this can often be done by setting an alarm and choosing a vibration pattern instead of a sound. Whenever you feel the vibration alert, take a slow breath in and a slow breath out. You don’t even have to stop what you’re doing, but notice where your awareness is. Is your attention spinning into the future or trapped in the past? If so, take a few seconds to guide it gently back to the moment. Notice what’s going on around you, what you’re doing, who you’re doing it with, and why. Notice whether your attention and your actions are placed on what truly matters most. If so, smile gently and take another slow breath. If not, guide it back to now, then do the same. The more you practice with these mini awareness interventions, the more they become baked into the day and the easier it becomes to reclaim intention and take more deliberate action. ## Connections to Other Materials # Personal Reflection & Application --- # Other References