user-1: I tend to write down when I meditate, and also note the length of the sessions. Observing my notes, I had the impression that when I sat for longer times (40m - 1h), I also was paradoxically more consistent.
Is such a thing ever mentioned in Buddhism? Usually, in habit formation psychology, it is the easiest habits that develop the most. Could lengthening meditation sessions also establish greater consistency?

user13709: In the suttas, the night is broken up into three watches that can be devoted to practice. For example:

AN8.20:1.4: “Sir, the night is getting late. It is the first watch of the night, and the Saṅgha has been sitting long.
AN8.20:1.5: Please, sir, may the Buddha recite the monastic code to the mendicants.”

From the above, one may infer that a watch is quite some time and that monks consistently meditated extensively. But it's not a Spartan marathon where one drops dead after gasping out the news of a victory. Indeed, in DN34, we have:

DN34:1.2.5: What one thing should be developed?
DN34:1.2.6: Mindfulness of the body that is full of pleasure.

So the monks meditated consistently and happily throughout the night, taking good breaks now and then. Personally, I tend to nod off at night, and therefore choose an earlier time to meditate mindfully.

AN7.61:2.1: “Are you nodding off, Moggallāna? Are you nodding off?”
AN7.61:2.2: “Yes, sir.”
AN7.61:2.3: “So, Moggallāna, don’t focus on or cultivate the perception that you were meditating on when you fell drowsy.

Meditating consistently at the proper time tends to favor longer meditations. If we are pressed for time, that can be difficult.

user-1: Immediately the longer sitting is more difficult. Sitting for a second is generally easier than sitting for two.
However if one trains then one will enjoy sitting longer and his longer sittings will be easier than the earlier short sittings but is really not a fair comparison because the longer were sat up by the shorter.
If one master's meditation then the longer sitting is definitely easier and is infinitely more pleasant in the circumstance when one enters & remains in manifold attainments for up to 7 days & 7 nights percipient of pleasure.
Eventually dwelling in the world as not percepient of the world becomes the inclination of the mind and a person might at that point emerge only due to necessity as there is no passion associated with the perceptions of ideas, sounds, colors & etc.
That person will be equanimous upon emerging, pleasing to good people as his good qualities because those have been perfected in course of the attainment to those peaceful liberations.

-1: <p>I tend to write down when I meditate, and also note the length of the sessions. Observing my notes, I had the impression that when I sat for longer times (40m - 1h), I also was paradoxically more consistent.</p>
<p>Is such a thing ever mentioned in Buddhism? Usually, in habit formation psychology, it is the easiest habits that develop the most. Could lengthening meditation sessions also establish greater consistency?</p>
 13709: <p>In the suttas, the night is broken up into three watches that can be devoted to practice. For example:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/an8.20/en/sujato#an8.20:1.4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN8.20:1.4</a>: “Sir, the night is getting late. It is the first watch of the night, and the Saṅgha has been sitting long.<br />
<a href="https://suttacentral.net/an8.20/en/sujato#an8.20:1.5" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN8.20:1.5</a>: Please, sir, may the Buddha recite the monastic code to the mendicants.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>From the above, one may infer that a watch is quite some time and that monks consistently meditated extensively. But it's not a Spartan marathon where one drops dead after gasping out the news of a victory. Indeed, in DN34, we have:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/dn34/en/sujato#dn34:1.2.5" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DN34:1.2.5</a>: What one thing should be developed?<br />
<a href="https://suttacentral.net/dn34/en/sujato#dn34:1.2.6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DN34:1.2.6</a>: Mindfulness of the body that is full of pleasure.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So the monks meditated consistently and happily throughout the night, taking good breaks now and then. Personally, I tend to nod off at night, and therefore choose an earlier time to meditate mindfully.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/an7.61/en/sujato#an7.61:2.1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN7.61:2.1</a>: “Are you nodding off, Moggallāna? Are you nodding off?”<br />
<a href="https://suttacentral.net/an7.61/en/sujato#an7.61:2.2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN7.61:2.2</a>: “Yes, sir.”<br />
<a href="https://suttacentral.net/an7.61/en/sujato#an7.61:2.3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN7.61:2.3</a>: “So, Moggallāna, don’t focus on or cultivate the perception that you were meditating on when you fell drowsy.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Meditating consistently at the proper time tends to favor longer meditations. If we are pressed for time, that can be difficult.</p>
 -1: <p>Immediately the longer sitting is more difficult. Sitting for a second is generally easier than sitting for two.</p>
<p>However if one trains then one will enjoy sitting longer and his longer sittings will be easier than the earlier short sittings but is really not a fair comparison because the longer were sat up by the shorter.</p>
<p>If one master's meditation then the longer sitting is definitely easier and is infinitely more pleasant in the circumstance when one enters &amp; remains in manifold attainments for up to 7 days &amp; 7 nights percipient of pleasure.</p>
<p>Eventually dwelling in the world as not percepient of the world becomes the inclination of the mind and a person might at that point emerge only due to necessity as there is no passion associated with the perceptions of ideas, sounds, colors &amp; etc.</p>
<p>That person will be equanimous upon emerging, pleasing to good people as his good qualities because those have been perfected in course of the attainment to those peaceful liberations.</p>
