“There is more to life than simply increasing its speed” — Mahatma Gandhi
Feel like it’s all moving too fast? Like everything’s spinning out of control?
Are you that person running to catch the bus… papers streaming in your wake as it pulls away?
As technology makes life easier for us, we just turn around and squander the gift of time by cramming more and more into our lives.
Urgent things are rarely as urgent as they’re made out to be.
It doesn’t matter if we’re the one driving it or if it’s someone else.
Just the act of rushing can trigger stress and anxiety. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you’re rushing? So often it’s just the habit kicking in when it doesn’t need to. We’re just rushing to rush… out of habit.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
We boast to each other about how crazy busy we are. We display our busyness like a shiny medal on our chest. Measuring life by net output is not a healthy move.
Why I still mow my own lawn…
Simple things… like yardwork, gardening, washing the car, and… mowing the lawn, take just enough concentration to take your mind off of the busyness of your world. For a period of time, your mind is diverted to the basic task at hand.
Occupy your brain with something that puts the constant in-and-out processing on hold. Then the magic begins to happen. Suddenly you’ve come up with a few good ideas and maybe even solved a few problems that have been teasing you.
We need downtime to think, relax, breathe, dream…
Like so much of what we let into our lives, slowing down is a choice we can make. Make it a conscious choice. Make it an intentional choice.
Think about a time when you were insanely busy.
The world was coming at you from all directions. You responded with your nose firmly on the grindstone. The harder you pushed, the less effective you felt. Yet, you pushed on.
Rushing may feel like you’re getting more done, but usually it’s the exact opposite.
Think about another time. You found your sweet spot… you were completely in the zone. You cranked away for hours knocking things out left and right. It was near effortless. What was the difference. To be fair, it may have been a lot of factors.
But, I can guarantee you a few things…
- You weren’t multitasking
- You weren’t incessantly checking your email
- You weren’t bombarded by interruptions
- You weren’t pushing through
Here are some ways to begin to apply the breaks…
Ease into these at first, go for small victories.
- Choose to do less. Choose to say no. It’s hard to slow down when you’re trying to do it all. So, stop trying.
- Add some margin between tasks. Remember that an hour-long meeting takes five or ten minutes on the front-end AND the back-end, maybe longer.
- Be mindful and be present. Be where you are. It doesn’t help if your head is somewhere else or still working through your last three commitments.
- Get outside. A good friend of mine makes it a point to leave his phone behind when he takes his dog out for a walk or playtime. He actually interacts and bonds with his dog.
- Pump up your awareness. Start to notice things you usually overlook. You may find yourself begin wonder, “How long has that been there?”
- Develop the habit of using nature’s magic reset button… breathing. Just a few slow, deep breaths can slow you down or help you notch it back a click or two.
Try not to automatically reach for your phone every time you have a spare moment. This one was hard for me the first time someone recommended it. I thought they were crazy. This is when having a smart phone is a huge timesaver, I though. Waiting in line—check email, check the weather, check your calendar, what’s next? Oh nothing—read a book. Go-Go-Go.
His recommended alternative? Observe what’s going on around you. Interesting thought.
Work on doing less and doing what matters most. Leave the rest for those working on their busyness merit badge.
British philosopher, Bertrand Russell had it right, “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
How do you slow things down? How do you enjoy the ride?
Thanks for visiting LifeUntucked.net! We’ll be exploring this amazing, hyper-connected world and figuring out how to live a bigger life through smaller things and simpler ways. I post on Wednesdays.
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