3-Minute Noticing Practice
Time needed: 3 minutes (60-60-60 seconds)
Setting: Any moment, anywhere
Purpose: Cultivating awareness of small details and moments that matter
Present Moment Noticing (60 seconds)
What: Tune into what’s happening right now:
- Notice three things you can see that you hadn’t paid attention to before
- Identify two sounds happening simultaneously
- Feel one texture or temperature on your skin
- Observe quality of light around you
Notice: How focused attention reveals hidden details, what emerges when you really look, where your attention naturally wants to go
Why: Builds mindful awareness, counters autopilot mode, reveals richness in ordinary moments
Feeling State Awareness (60 seconds)
What: Notice your internal landscape:
- Scan for any emotion present without trying to change it
- Identify where you feel most relaxed/tense in your body
- Notice your energy level and quality right now
- Observe thoughts without getting caught in their content
Notice: What you’re carrying emotionally, how awareness itself affects your state, difference between feeling and observing feelings
Why: Develops emotional awareness, builds self-knowledge, creates space between you and your experiences
Little Things Appreciation (60 seconds)
What: Notice small gifts around you:
- Spot something that works well that you usually take for granted
- Find one small beauty in your current environment
- Notice someone’s kind gesture or thoughtful action
- Identify something that’s going better than expected
Notice: How gratitude emerges naturally through noticing, what you typically overlook, where appreciation wants to flow
Why: Builds appreciation habits, counters negativity bias, reveals abundance in ordinary life
Closing: “There’s so much I haven’t been seeing”
Notice: How deliberate noticing shifts your relationship to this moment
Why: Anchors enhanced awareness practice
Tips:
- Noticing is different from analyzing or judging
- Small details often hold the most beauty
- What you notice shapes how you experience life
- Practice noticing without needing to do anything about what you see
- The act of noticing is itself transformative