The Diminishing Returns of Meditation

Meditation is a practice that can yield incredible results. It can calm you down, allow you to access your inner world, and even change your level of consciousness. However, it is a practice that must be understood if we are to benefit from it. Many people treat meditation as an all-or-nothing thing. They think that by diving into it head first (and then giving up when results are mediocre) they are going to reap all the rewards. I’m here to tell you how to put meditation in perspective and get as much from it as you can.

Just about everything in life is subject to the law of diminishing returns. What this means is that when you do something over and over, you start to get less from it. For example, let’s say you see a piece of delicious, gooey pumpkin pie. Pretend that you are a fan of pumpkin pie even if you aren’t for a moment. Under normal circumstances, you would probably want to try some of the pie - after all, pie is a good thing. But imagine if you had just stuffed yourself and simply couldn’t have another bite. All of a sudden, the pie is no longer appetizing. In fact, it could even be disgusting to you.

Most things work about like that. Whether it be food, exercise, work, or anything else. There is a sweet spot where you get the majority of what you need out of it. Anything after that is either not very rewarding, or even worse, detrimental. As I have said, meditation is no exception.

The Sweet Spot for Meditation

Just as spending hours a day eating pie is probably not the best use of your time, devoting hour upon hour to meditation probably isn’t either. Take this from someone who meditates every day, and is so much a fan of the practice that I wrote a book about it. Meditation is an incredible, life changing thing. But I would not devote hours to it each day, even if I did have the time. The reason is simple: diminishing returns.

So at what point can we expect to get the best results from our contemplative sessions? From personal experience I have found this range to be within the 10-30 minute period, dependent upon how experienced you are at meditation. The better you are, the less time you need to spend to get in a really Zen-like state. On the other hand, if you haven’t meditated in quite some time, then you may need longer before your thoughts start to recede.

Currently, I only spend about 10 minutes a day meditating, which is usually done in the mornings. I find that this helps me to be refreshed and ready to start the day off right. While 10 minutes a day can seem like a small amount of time, consider the following. The goal of meditation is to clear your mind. If you get good enough at it, then you will find that your mind stays clear even after meditation. Over time it takes less and less energy to return to that state of inner peace. Therefore, meditation becomes a way of life and not so much something you sit down and do. That’s why a quick 10 minute session can do the trick. As I said, if you’re just getting the hang of it you may need longer, but 30 minutes should be plenty.

You Must Meditate Consistently

Make sure that you understand the goal of this article isn’t to get people to meditate less. On the contrary, when you only need 10-30 minutes a day to devote to something, you will find it very easy to incorporate into a routine. Personally, I meditate after I exercise. I find that it is easier to clear the mind when the body is tired. But you can do it at pretty much whatever time you want.

What matters is consistency. After all, those 10 minute sessions will add up pretty fast when you do it every day - which is exactly what meditation is; an everyday routine to slowly change your inner world. The process isn’t quick, but I can guarantee that it is worth it.

Article by Fred Tracy

Fred Tracy is an experienced meditator who writes deeply on the topic. He has created a website devoted to sharing tips and tricks to increase your inner peace and contemplation. He has also written an ebook called The Simple Art of Meditation.

Visit his website … Art of Meditation

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