Once you get used to practicing mindfulness, it’ll gradually become less of a practice and more of a lifestyle. You’ll naturally expand the amount of time you spend being mindful every day and extend it into new areas of your life.

You can also extend your practice deliberately, of course, and one of the most fruitful ways to do that is by adding mindfulness into your daily routine in the morning or the evening. This can yield great benefits to your life by helping you set intentions for the day in the morning and reflect on what went right and wrong during the day at night.

Starting your day off mindfully is easy once you get the hang of it. You don’t even have to get out of bed to do it! But don’t try it in bed until you’re used to doing it, or you might unwittingly go back to sleep!

As you lie in bed first thing in the morning, think about the day ahead. What’s going on? What do you have to get done or concentrate on? What’s important and what can wait? Make these decisions before you ever get up and you won’t have to worry about doing it later.

Now set your intentions for how you will face your day. Boldly, with great self-confidence? Humbly, ready to learn from others? Something in between? Make the decision before getting up and then mindfully go about your morning routine.

At the other end of the day, either as you’re getting ready for bed or lying down for the night, reflect on what happened. Did things go as you planned? Did your intentions carry through? What went right, what went wrong, and how can you do better next time? Ask these questions about both work and personal things and answer them.

Starting and ending your day mindfully will greatly improve your life and do so quickly. You can quickly evaluate how things are going, personally and professionally, and whether or not you’re progressing towards your goals. Then you can make adjustments as needed.

It will also help you find more life satisfaction, more happiness, and bring the other benefits of mindfulness (such as lower amounts of stress) into your life more quickly. The fast, consistent feedback you get daily when you start and end every day mindfully allows you to quickly change things that aren’t working and double down on things that are. That’s one of the biggest benefits of mindfulness!