If you are a beginner with meditation it is likely, as with may new pursuits, that you are totally confused with the various different meditation practices available to you. My initial advice to you is to "keep it simple".
Meditation is meant to be a way of relaxing and releasing the stresses of daily life. It is not something to achieve, and certainly isn't something that has to be measured in the way of success or failure. In the early days just sitting in a quiet space for five or ten minutes, maybe listening to a peaceful piece of music or simply looking out of your window to the nature around you is more than sufficient.
So many people seem to be uncomfortable with silence and with their own company and maybe you will need to face these fears as you start out on your meditation practice. You will be pleased to know that it does get easier, though even well practiced meditators get distracted and have times of difficulty.
In the early days you may find it helpful to simply concentrate on your breath, we call this breathing meditation and it is something akin to counting sheep when you are trying to get to sleep. It can help to keep out those distracting random thoughts that appear at the least provocation.
Why not try to do five minutes a day. Preferably in the morning, as before you know it the day will have come to an end and you won't have found the time to stop. It maybe that you prefer to do your meditation practice just before you go to bed. Many people find that this helps them to relax before they go to sleep. The most important thing is to ensure that whatever you do, whenever you do it and for however long you do it, that it is something you feel comfortable with. This is not a competition, anything goes if it works for you and helps you to cope with your daily grind.
If you want more information on meditation you can visit my other meditation site at Meditation Practices
