Time (1)

How many times a day do you check what time it is?

Long-term memory (2)

What's one thing you still feel wary about or avoid altogether, because of a single memorable bad experience many years ago?

Year ending, year beginning (4)

Taking an inventory of what happened to you last year, what is a good trend, condition, or practice you would like to contine in 2013? And what is one trend, condition, or practice you'd prefer to leave behind in 2012?

Solstice

Yesterday was winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, the time when daylight is shortest and night is longest. In the southern hemisphere, yesterday was summer solstice.  How does the changing amount of daylight affect your daily routine? For example, what is one thing you won't do on a dark evening?

Thoughts and feelings (5)

What is one thing that you tend to steer away from because you find it emotionally uncomfortable?

Old friends (1)

What is one recurring social event that you've done basically the same way for years with the same friend or the same group of friends? 

Hard work (1)

Some people spend long minutes hunting for the perfect parking space, just to save walking an extra 100 feet. What is one favorite "shortcut" of yours that sometimes takes more effort than it saves?

Life together (4)

What is one routine thing that you and your partner enjoy doing together?

Food (2)

If a camera recorded your most recent meals, what would the scene look like?  Do you typically eat by yourself, or with other people?  Are meals a time of conversation?  Do you combine eating with watching TV, checking e-mail, reading, or any other activity? 

Food (1)

When you look back at your childhood, which of your family's mealtime patterns or specific foods stands out as unusual, unhealthy, or dysfunctional, even if it didn't seem that way at the time?

Siesta

Do you sometimes nap during the day, when circumstances allow?

This week's theme is sleep.

Sleep habits

How consistent is your sleep schedule? Do you go to bed and get up at regular times every day, or does your sleep vary?

How much later do you sleep on days when you don't have work or other commitments to push you out of bed?

This week's theme is sleep.

Waking up

Do you wake up naturally, or do you rely on an alarm clock to wake you? If you use an alarm clock, on what fraction of your mornings do you wake up anyway, before the clock sounds?

This week's theme is sleep.

In your glass

How much plain water do you drink each day? Is water your main beverage, or do you have another favorite that you drink more often than water?

This week's theme is water.

The customary gesture of appreciation

In the United States, today is Thanksgiving, a traditional holiday of gratitude. What are some of your personal habits and traditions for expressing gratitude? Are there occasions when you must give a think-you gift or send a card? Are there times when things would feel unfinished if you didn't say the appropriate thank-you to the right person?

This week's theme is gratitude.

Time out

One of the benefits of daily meditation is that it opens up a space outside of our usual agendas and our habitual patterns of thought. Do you meditate? Do you have some other activity that sets aside some "empty space" in your day?

This week's theme is empty space.

When the going gets tough

What is one not-so-obvious character trait or personal habit that makes it easier for you to get through difficult times?

This week's theme is hidden strengths.

Well-illuminated areas

Self-awareness is one of the goals of this blog. By looking at one new thing every day, we become more aware of our selves and our surroundings. What is one aspect of your life that you're already keenly aware of, much more than most people are? What are the things that life has forced you to learn to pay particularly close attention to?

This week's theme is Milestone 1000.

A few thousand minutes

It took us just a few minutes a day to write 1000 blog posts in 1000 days. What worthwhile goal could you accomplish in a few minutes a day, if you were willing to keep at it for 1000 days?

This week's theme is Milestone 1000.

Your best daily practice

A daily practice is something you do every day for the sake of your health, well-being, or personal development. Ten Thousand Questions is an example of a simple daily practice. In the last few years, what new daily practice has been most successful and worthwhile for you — a habit that definitely repays your time and effort?

Please share your answer on the blog (http://www.tenthousandquestions.com) or on the Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/tenthousandquestions).

This week's theme is Milestone 1000.