Question: When so many things have to be done at the same time, it is hard for me to decide what I should actually do first. Is there always something that is best to do at a particular time?

Sri Chinmoy: The answer will come from your early morning meditation. You are a good disciple. Each day you are getting up at four o’clock, five o’clock or six o’clock and you are meditating. If you have a good meditation, from your meditation you do not even have to get a particular message. Your meditation will direct you what to do. Your meditation is bound to direct you what to do, what is most important. You do not even have to ask in your meditation: shall I do this or shall I do that? A good meditation has light in it. This light will take you to the right thing to do first.

Let us say there are four things you have to do on a particular day. The mind cannot say which is the most important thing. But the light from your own meditation will tell you. It will guide you: do this, do this. Your meditation will tell you. There is no other way.

Meditation early in the morning is of supreme, supreme importance. In the morning you have to get the message. In your office, your boss tells you what to do. Meditation is the boss here. You are asking the boss what to do. Again, if you can talk to my Transcendental Picture, it will tell you. But I am saying that you do not have to do that. Only try to have a very good meditation, a solid meditation. Meditation embodies light. That light will take you to the right thing. It will tell you the first thing to do.

Please meditate for a minimum of ten minutes each morning. I am not saying you have to get up at five o’clock or six o’clock. Whenever you get up — even if you get up at ten or twelve or one o’clock — that is your morning hour. Even if you get up at one o’clock, please meditate for ten minutes. Just keep the curtain closed. Do not allow the sunlight to come in, because it will disturb you; it will make your life miserable. Only keep the room dark so that you can feel it is still dark outside. You can feel that it is early in the morning and still the sun is not yet up; the sun is also sleeping.

Every morning kindly meditate for at least ten minutes. Then, at the interval of three hours, or at least three times — I am not saying every hour; that may be difficult — kindly be in a meditative consciousness. Early in the morning you will meditate, and then again at around two o’clock, five o’clock and once more. Make sure that at least three times during the day you become most sincerely aware of your meditation.

You may not be able to sit in front of your shrine, but the meditative consciousness which you had early in the morning, at six or seven o’clock, you have to bring forward. Your consciousness is entering into your morning meditation, and your morning meditation again will come and make you aware of your inner life; it will make you serious in your approach to the spiritual life. Even while you are driving or shopping or running or doing anything else, bring back that consciousness. Even while you are chatting with your friends, remind yourself of your meditation early in the morning. You may be talking, you may be saying ordinary things, but remind yourself of the divine activities that you performed early in the morning.