Published: 06.01.2026
I woke up at 4 am today and could not fall back asleep. After lying there in the bed for a while, I decided to use the time to meditate. I ended up doing a 42-minute session, which turned out to be my longest session so far. Instead of sitting upright, I chose to lie on my back this time. While the experience felt similar to most other sessions, I noticed that the extended duration made a big difference. Having more time created more space, which made it easier to simply observe my thoughts and stay with them a little longer. Most of my thoughts revolved around undone tasks. Things I had not completed, decisions I needed to make, plans that were still pending. With more time, I could notice this pattern - this Pareto distribution of thoughts - and question it. How is replaying these tasks in my head serving me right now? Am I actually making progress by thinking about them during meditation? The answer, very clearly, was no.
A couple of learnings emerged from that observation.
- One was the idea of observing Pareto thoughts. These are the recurring thoughts that show up again and again, and they probably deserve attention at some point. Meditation can help surface them, but resolving them might be better done later, maybe by writing them down and dealing with them intentionally.
- Another was recognising junk thoughts. Some thoughts are pure entertainment, like a random movie scene or a disconnected memory, and they serve no purpose beyond distraction. Seeing them for what they are makes it easier to let them pass without engaging.
This session reinforced something simple but important for me. The duration changes the nature of the practice. The longer I stay, the more clearly the patterns reveal themselves.