More than ever, we live in a fast-paced world. Thanks to technology, everything can be done quicker and with less effort. For instance, if I want to communicate with someone, I don’t have to handwrite a letter and have it delivered. Instead, I can call, text, or email and communicate immediately. Similarly, I don’t have to clean my clothes by hand. Rather, I can just put them in the laundry machine and then the dryer, and my machines do all the work.
The ease of doing things in today’s world is good – to a point. But at a certain point, because we can do so many things, so quickly, life moves too fast. And that’s stressful. Moreover, just because you can do everything quickly and overload your schedule with activities, that doesn’t mean that you should do so.
The reality is that the faster we go through life, and the more that we do, the more miserable we become. Rushing and over-packed schedules with no down time is a recipe for exhaustion. And frustration. So, while it may sound counterintuitive, but if you want to be happy, Slow Down and Do Less.
Below are ways to create a slow life in a world that wants us to go faster. Reject the world’s fast pace, adopt the approaches below, slow down, and see how much happier you can be.
Take on Fewer Commitments
Realize that a slow life isn’t lazy. Rather, it’s intentional. Living a slow life means choosing to do only those things that truly align with what’s most important to you.
That means putting on your schedule only those things that make you happy. Realize that when our schedules are filled with activities that purely serve the happiness of others, we become exhausted.
For instance, there was a time in my life when my every weekend was consumed with meeting the needs of others. My free time typically was spent doing activities that I had no interest in doing. As a result, by the end of every weekend, I was exhausted and irritated, when I should have been refreshed.
After some time, I realized that I needed to reduce my commitments and only do those things that I found to be rejuvenating. And that meant that I had to learn how to say one of the best words in the English language – “No.” Because when you say “no” to what you don’t want in life, you say “yes” to the life that you do want. You say “yes” to a life that provides you with rest, relaxation and activities that you find to be enjoyable.
So, be selective with the commitments that you take on. Slow down, do less, choose your commitments wisely, and create a life that is truly enjoyable for you.
Incorporate “Slow Down” Rituals Into Your Daily Life
To create a slower, more meditative lifestyle, it helps institute rituals that slow down your day. For example, every evening before dinner, I set the table and light candles for a centerpiece. I never skip this ritual. No matter what’s going on, every evening I set a beautiful, candlelit table for dinner. This simple ritual slows down my evening. Once the candles are lit, that sets the stage for a dinner that isn’t rushed. Instead, dinnertime is a quiet, relaxed time during which my husband and I enjoy good conversation and delicious food.
The key is to insert small rituals throughout your day to slow things down. Consider starting your day by savoring a cup of coffee or tea without your phone. Commit to not having lunch “on the go,” but instead, take 30 minutes to sit down and enjoy a hot meal. Have an afternoon cup of tea for 15 minutes with no technology.
Incorporating quiet rituals throughout the day allows us to take periodic breaks in the action when we can “stop” and just allow ourselves to “be” for a little while. Try creating tiny rituals to slow down your day, and see how much more peaceful your days become.
Slow Down by Disconnecting from Technology
I truly appreciate technology for certain things. For instance, I appreciate being able to communicate with my daughter and my closest friends through text message so that I can keep up with them during the day. And I love listening to podcasts in foreign languages to practice my language skills. I also enjoy reading articles online about topics that interest me. And, of course, I also appreciate technology because it allows me to have the “Create A Great Life” blog.
But that is the extent to which I am willing to use technology. Because the problem is that technology can fill up our lives with nonsense. Realize that there’s an abundance of junk on the Internet. It’s replete with videos of people’s children and pets doing and saying random “cute” things. The Internet is also full of the “news” stories, most of which aren’t newsworthy. Unfortunately, most of what is on the Internet is just distraction and noise.
We can be inundated with all that noisy junk, if we make that choice. However, the good news is that we also can make a very different choice. We can choose to slow down and stop going down every Internet rabbit hole. Instead, we can choose to use technology only in ways that serve us and make our lives better.
For example, while I use technology to communicate with those closest to me via text and email, I don’t permit technology to make my days hectic. So, I don’t use social media. I also limit the amount of news I read. I look at the news on NPR once a day, and that is all.
The problem is that other people and companies use technology to try to get our attention and consume our time. But you don’t have to take their bait. Instead, you can make a different choice. You can choose to take control of your life and disconnect from technology. Instead, use technology only for purposes that serve you. If you do, your life will become slower, quieter, more peaceful and just plain better.
Choose Quality Over Quantity in Life
We live in a world in which society tells us that doing a lot each day is a good thing. Being busy is deemed to be a sign of a good life. But realize that nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, to have a truly good life, the key is to slow down, live simply, and spend each day just doing a few things well.
For example, it’s far more rewarding to meet one friend for a cup of coffee and have a meaningful conversation than to go to a large party and engage in chit chat with a bunch of people. Similarly, over the course of the year, you can read through a stack of light novels. But you are far better off savoring and pondering a couple of well-written, serious books. Less is always more.
Now I’ll concede that our fast world rewards speed and busyness. But that’s a wrong-headed approach to life. Instead, to truly be happy, you need to slow down and go through life carefully. Curate your life by choosing to do fewer things, things that are meaningful to you and that nourish your soul. Because doing less will not make your life small. To the contrary, doing less will make your life deeper.
The good news is that by following the approaches above, you can create a slow life in this fast world! When you choose a slow life, you, in fact, are reclaiming your life. You’re rejecting the fast pace of the world with its rushing and its noise, and you instead are choosing a slower pace of life which allows you to be fully present. Create a slower life, and I guarantee that it will bring you a life that is more peaceful and meaningful. (To read about how to create a more balanced life, click here.)
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