I'm the kind of guy who would immediately think of meditation as some hippy activity, but i've actually found my own way that works for me which is to go and do a repetitive task that required no brain power, it helps clear my mind and makes me much more productive.
That's actually what meditation is mostly about. With a breathing meditation, you just pull your focus back to your breath every time you get distracted. That's it. All the stuff about having to close your eyes, or sit with your knees behind your head while a guru throws a bucket of water at you is just dogma. So, funnily enough, you already do meditate.
I signed up so that I could post that I strongly agree. I'm the CTO at a startup that depends way too heavily on me, and I use Tai Chi to stay sane. Tai Chi is about a lot of things but the part that keeps me sane is the meditative aspect of running my body through a "program" of movements, which requires a specific amount of attention. If your mind wanders during a Tai Chi form then you'll screw it up. And if you focus too MUCH then you'll also screw it up. So Tai Chi becomes a tool for practicing the mental state known as "flow".
Aside from it being a form of moving meditation for the mind, it helps the body, especially for a tech nerd. I began studying Tai Chi, I came near burnout partly because my body was always in a similar posture all week. I developed RSI in my neck and my shoulder from constantly tensing muscles to use a mouse or trackpad. If I worked through a weekend, or two in a row, then I might spend 20 or 30 days in a row with my shoulder tight. Tai Chi is not intense exercise, but it moves all of your muscles through their full range of motion. Simply having that "program" that I can run with my body eliminated my RSI. Even though I still have to spend way too much time at the keyboard.
Nice timing with this post. Yesterday my thumb was twitching uncontrollably for half the day due to what looks like RSI and I was wondering what my options were. Thanks for the tip!
Don't forget, there's an element of focus in meditation, though. Just doing a hobby, while beneficial and relaxing, isn't really meditation... unless your focused on what's happening in the moment while you're doing it.
The everyday experience closest to meditation is probably when you're in the zone while doing something athletic.
I used to hate doing dishes, but now that I'm full-time freelance I love it. I get to listen to podcasts, take a break from work and do something mindless that needs doing. Ditto for going to the grocery.
