Written by Jen Liu

“Meditation may not necessarily feel productive in the way that other tasks with immediate, quantifiable results do. But that doesn't mean it's not fruitional. By investing into the cultivation of mindfulness and wakefulness, even just for ten or twenty minutes a day, we can eventually end up with a holistic shift that can positively impact any number of other pursuits in our lives.”

Do you ever find yourself wondering if meditation is a waste of time? As crude as it may sound, this question plagues so many of us on a regular basis. With the pace and structure of modern day life constantly pushing us to maximize productivity and material gain above all else, it's only natural that we sometimes wonder if sitting in non-judgmental silence for twenty minutes is worth our time. The repeated temptation to instead do things with more immediate, quantifiable results can pose a legitimate challenge to our efforts to maintain a consistent practice.

Having a strong view of the practice can help us disarm these kinds of motivational traps and stay grounded in our commitment. For instance, when weighing the pros and cons of taking time out of our day to meditate instead of knocking another task off our to-do list, we can remember that meditation is not a quick fix and has a much greater chance of leading to substantive change if carried out in a consistent manner instead of in infrequent bursts.

All the while, we can honor the very real importance of other tasks without thinking of them as in competition with our personal practice. Like getting dressed or brushing our teeth, meditation can be considered as an important need to be carried out along with, not at the expense of, the other activities our day requires. Holding this aspiration can lead to many lifelong lessons, from the mundane — how to manage our time — to the sacred — what's truly important to us.

We can also take stock of the ways our practice may already be bearing fruit for us. From big wins, like having a more stabilized mood and being less reactive in everyday life, to mini ones, like being proud for simply showing up at our cushion, we can call on personal insight and experience to paint our own picture of what progress and fulfillment look like. Does productivity always have to be material — or can it be mental, emotional, and spiritual, too?

Meditation may not necessarily feel productive in the way that other tasks with immediate, quantifiable results do. But that doesn't mean it's not fruitional. By investing into the cultivation of mindfulness and wakefulness, even just for ten or twenty minutes a day, we can eventually end up with a holistic shift that can positively impact any number of other pursuits in our lives.

From interpersonal relationships, to increased ability to focus at work or school, to physical and mental health, there is no limit to the ways meditation practice can help us engage more authentically and fruitfully with all that our lives demand of us. Taking time to sit in silence when our to-do list is long may work against every instinct we have to prize productivity and instant gratification, but learning how to hold our seat through that tension is part of the beauty of this practice.