Slow Living Is Nothing New.
Imagine starting the day like Charles Darwin, with a leisurely walk in the woods. Or take a cue from Leonardo Da Vinci, who often spent days exploring the countryside outside Florence. And what about Ian Fleming, who would kick off his mornings with a refreshing swim in the sea when he was in Jamaica every January and February? These are all examples of slow living in action.
A cursory look at the daily routine of any productive person of years past would quickly find a person who indulged in gentle walks in nature, hobbies such as painting or gardening, and socialising with friends and family.
YouTube is full of videos on “Slow Living” these days. It appears to be the next step from minimalism, which has been popular for several years.
Looking at what slow living is, it soon becomes apparent that there is nothing new here. It’s how most people lived their lives before the digital explosion. We enjoyed hobbies, picnics with our friends and family, went out to the cinema, and enjoyed a few pints at the local pub with our community — all without needing a mobile phone.
Slow living is simple. It’s about living a balanced life. Yet, it’s unforced. There’s a time for doing paid work, a time for family, and a time for quiet, solitary activities such as reading, playing music or (in the case of Winston Churchill) building stone walls.
But it seems in our modern life, we’ve lost touch with this slower, more balanced way of life. We’re constantly connected, always on our mobile devices. If we’re not engrossed in instant messaging apps, we’re mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds or getting worked up over click-bait news headlines. This constant stimulation leaves little room for the quiet, solitary activities that are a hallmark of a well-balanced life.
Perhaps slowing down and enjoying life in a slower, more meaningful way would allow us to be more productive with the things that matter and leave us less stressed and more fulfilled.
Taking my little Yorkshire Terrier out for his daily walk is one of the most productive things I do each day. It gives me time to think and enjoy nature and calms my overactive mind. No matter how busy I am, I always have time to take Louis out. It’s one of the highlights of his day and, it turns out, one of my highlights too.
The thinking time afforded to me by taking Louis out allows me to consider what needs to be done and what can either wait or be deleted. It’s a chance to step back and see the bigger picture of what I have to do.
When you find yourself caught up in a tsunami of emails, messages, requests and long lists of to-dos, it’s easy to stop thinking about what you should do and plough on and try and do everything regardless of what you likely do not need to do.
Not everything needs to be done today. Much of what you think needs to be done can be left alone for a day or two and will often sort itself out without any input from you.
How often have you rushed to contact customer support for something to figure out the problem yourself a few minutes later? Or rushed to do something in the kitchen only to spill everything and waste ten minutes cleaning up the mess? I’m sure you can think of countless times when rushing to do something resulted in mistakes and then having to waste time fixing them.
Slowing down gives you an advantage over your peers. It gives you time to see things as they are and not as they seem. Not everything is urgent and must be done right now.
Here are a few things you can do to slow down.
Give yourself ten minutes to decide what must be done today.
You’ll be surprised how effective you become when you set aside a few minutes each day to prioritise. That could be an important report, proposal, or finishing work early enough to be at your daughter’s swimming gala.
Protect time.
Time is the only real resource you have to do the essential things. If you want time to go for a walk, you must protect it. Similarly, if you need to prepare for an important presentation, save time for it. Find the time, protect it, and learn to say no to other demands on your time politely.
Know what is important to you.
If you do not know what is important, everything will seem important, and therefore, nothing will be. Take a little time to think about your life as a whole. What do you enjoy doing? How important is meeting your friends or spending time with your family? From there, you will find prioritising where you spend your time easier.
Acquire some non-screen related hobbies.
Take up a hobby. Build Lego sets, learn to draw, or do calligraphy. You could also take up gardening, grow a bonsai tree, or learn to make leather goods. Anything that does not involve a screen. It will surprise you how relaxing these types of hobbies are.
Perhaps the most important thing you could do from today is to slow down. Stop rushing to get everything done today, and just take your time. You will make a lot fewer mistakes, and that, on its own, will ensure you get the right things done at the right time.
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