I’ve taught classes in personal journaling and the one thing very common, I’ve found, is people saying “there’s no time”. I usually recommend actually making a schedule of what you do all day, a very honest schedule including all activities, small and large. Look at them and decide which are the most important. There are bound to be a few less important items here and there. Those can be made less important than writing in the journal. Maybe hairball cleanup falls into that stratum.

Another little thing I picked up is that when you have learned to meditate, you can do it anywhere, any time. If you need a special time, a special room, or special music — whatever — then that thing is doing the meditation, not you. The goal is to be able to meditate while standing in heavy traffic on a busy highway (not that I recommend the location. It’s an analogy, I suspect.) With that in mind, meditation doesn’t require a certain time or place. You can do it on your bathroom break, or waiting in line at the bank.

Personally, I meditate best when I am singing. I used to meditate well while playing piano, when I still played. I also meditate while doing beadwork — that is, my mind clears of everything, and I’m not even thinking about what I’m doing, I’m just doing it. Singing is best, though, because of the thought about breath. I don’t know how much breathing is required to play the cello, but that might be another good place to meditate.

Not that my advice is particularly useful or good, mind you. Like random elevator air, it could be full of nasty cheap perfume.