When you think about what it means to slow down your life it seems counterintuitive to today’s hectic and fast passed culture. But it really is the key to simplifying and enjoying life. There is a lot of value in slowing down.
Many of us have heard the cliche quote how “We wear busy as a badge of honor”. That quote resonates with a lot of people because there is truth to it.
In fact, these days there seems to be a sense of competition as to who has the busiest schedule. As if a busy schedule somehow makes us important. With that in mind, you may be wondering “Why slow down your life?” What is the value of slowing down?
Before we answer those questions it’s important to understand what exactly living slow means.
What Does Living Slow Mean
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Constant busyness is what distracts us from the things that matter most in life, from doing what we love. Put simply, it is the devaluation of rest.
Living slowly is the opposite of this, it is embracing the less is more mindset. But it’s not just about focusing on less, it’s about focusing on the right things.
Living slow means the willingness to slow down enough to allow space in your life for the things that bring you joy.
This includes time with the people in your life and pursuing things that fill you up. Not just that, but also slowing down enough to notice those things.
To be cliche, it is about giving up busyness as a badge of honor.
In other words, living slow is not about being still and doing nothing, although we can all benefit from that from time to time. Instead, it is actively pursuing a slower pace of life, one that allows you to participate in activities you love rather than out of obligation.
The Value in Slowing Down
Let’s be honest, the truth is we are all faced with having more to do than there is time to do it. It’s easy to say slow down and enjoy life, but you have responsibilities and things that must be done. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with family and work responsibilities, you are not alone.
Add to that the fact we are living in the technology age. Truthfully technology comes with a lot of advantages. However, it also means we are available to everyone at the touch of a button 24/7. The result is the feeling of constant busyness.
But what does all this busyness get you? How does it make you feel? Do you wake up feeling stressed and behind?
If we are being honest, it does give something. For most, that something is a feeling of importance. But in actuality, it is a way of compensating for what you really want. We use busyness to mask what is missing.
We miss the ordinary moments that makeup life because we have to stay on top of that to-do list. Afterward, we are left with exhaustion to the point we don’t have the energy for the people we love.
You see, the value in slowing down is to leave space in your life for the things that truly matter. The ordinary moments of watching your kids be silly, of a beautiful sunset, the feel of a cool breeze on your face, chatting with a friend, a knowing glance shared with your spouse, or the first blooms of the season.
It is only when we appreciate the value of slowing down, that we’re able to notice and see the extraordinary in those little ordinary moments.
How to Slow Down Your Life
Now that you are clear on the value of slowing down, the question remains how do you actually slow down your life? Well — it’s really about being intentional with the choices you make.
Plan out your days
Effective time management is key to staying on top of must-do tasks while also allowing you to slow down your life. And the key to good time management is having a clear plan in place for your day.
I’ve always been a big planner person. One of the reasons for that is planning out your days stops you from being reactive to unexpected things that come up.
Planning allows you to leave time and space in your day for the unexpected. It stops you from feeling stressed, rushed, and overwhelmed.
Use a daily planner and write down all of your appointments, and must-do tasks, including meals to make. This way you’ll know exactly what you have on your plate for the day. You can then build in margin for rest and things that fill you up.
Then go back and remove some of the activities that are causing your life to feel hectic and rushed. These should include any activities or commitments you don’t enjoy, are adding stress, or that simply no longer add value to your life.
Set up basic routines
One of the best things I did to help me slow down was set up basic routines for my day-to-day life.
The reason routines are so powerful in helping you slow down is that they allow things to run on autopilot. When you have basic routines in place for the daily must-do’s you don’t have to spend time thinking about what needs to be done. Your routines are already in place ensuring things run smoothly.
It’s good to have morning routines, but your evening routine may be the most important. The things you do in the evening are what will set your day up for success. You should also have a regular cleaning routine to keep your home clean even when you’re short on time.
Keep your routines simple, it’s just about doing certain things each day around the same time. For example, we have a 15-minute tidy-up as part of our evening routine. Everyone pitches in and returns things to where they should go.
These simple routines will save hours of time, giving you the freedom to slow down your life.
Limit your multi-tasking
For the most part, multitasking is one of the biggest culprits of that feeling of constant busyness. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say you cannot understand the value of slowing down and being committed to multi-tasking at the same time.
Multi-tasking has somehow been touted as a good thing, something that will make us more productive, but this is a myth! Multi-tasking does not make you more productive, what it does is steals your focus.
When you are consistently multi-tasking there is no room to slow down.
If you want to slow down and simplify your life, limiting multi-tasking is vital.
When you’re waiting, instead of checking your phone or emails, stop and people watch or process your thoughts. Give your undivided attention to what is going on in the moment. If you’re speaking with someone give them all of your attention, look at them and really listen.
Do your best to focus on one task at a time and be present in that moment. After all, life is not about doing more, it’s about doing the right things. So slow down, limit multitasking, and appreciate the little things going on around you!
Make slowing down your life a priority
Our culture values the go-go lifestyle. It glorifies busyness. If you’re not intentional in slowing down your life, you’ll get caught up in the culture around you. This means you must make slowing down a priority.
Remind yourself of the value of slowing down. Know what is truly important to you. What tasks do you have on your plate and why they are there?
Do not allow your schedule to be filled with things that don’t matter at the expense of the things that do.
When you are clear on your priorities it’s so much easier to eliminate the things that interfere with those priorities. Instead of giving in to the busyness of life, you’ll know exactly what is adding value to your life and what is not.
Declutter Your Home
If I have to pick just one thing that will help you slow down your life, it is this – declutter your home! (I know, no surprise here).
Decluttering your home is important. The clutter in your home costs you a lot, including your valuable time. Everything you own takes some amount of your time. You have to care for, maintain, clean, or store it all.
Not just that, but when you’re surrounded by clutter in your home, it increases your mental clutter. We are greatly impacted by the environment we are surrounded by. Thus, the more clutter you have, the more difficult it is to maintain focus and order throughout your life.
Depending on the amount of clutter you have in your home this may take some time. But I assure you it is time well spent. In the end, it will save you far more time they you spend decluttering.
If you need some help getting started decluttering, just check out the archives here, you’ll find lots of articles to help you along the way.
Pay attention to the little things
The main value in slowing down lies in being able to appreciate your life for all that it is and truly enjoy the little things that make up your life.
This starts by paying attention to what is happening around you. Notice the sound of a child’s laughter, feel the breeze on your skin when you walk outdoors, and stop and pay attention to a beautiful sunset.
When you’re intentional about noticing the little things, you’ll find you have so much to appreciate about life.
Relax and Slow Down Your Life
Ultimately the choice to relax and slow down your life is one you must make for yourself.
I can tell you how to relax and slow down, but you must put the steps into action. Choose one of these steps today and focus on slowing down.
Whether you choose to plan out your day or week, set up a few routines, focus on one task at a time, begin the decluttering process, or just notice the little things, make it a priority.
Commit to doing at least one thing this week to relax and slow down. I would love to hear how you will slow down this week.
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