Frank, I took up meditation earlier this year. To make a long story short, my breakthrough was realizing the exotic techniques, belief systems and rituals are needless window dressing. The book I read is "Watching Your Life" by Teja Anand. It's a short read, but more importantly, the "directions" for meditating are only a few paragraphs.

Meditation is a process we all occasionally do unintentionally, which is tuning out -- not interacting with the world or one's mind. I let my mind talk without listening (sort of like listening to one's wife talk lol).

I set an alarm for 20 minutes in an environment I'm unlikely to be disturbed in, close my eyes and listen to the freeway across the street, and sometimes be aware of my breathing.

I don't know if I'm "doing it right" exactly, but the alarm always surprises me. Most often, my mind isn't racing like it was, focusing on things is easier, my thinking has a little more clarity and order to it, and I'm less distracted. These changes are subtle but often noticeable, and I like them.

Overall, a small sacrifice for a small gain, but on a ROI percentage, it's worth it.

The hurdle is making it a semi-daily routine. But all it takes is agreeing with myself to sit down and do nothing for 20 minutes -- something I do already for some pretty trivial things, like idly reading or watching videos.