Slow Down- Speed Bump Ahead

Make Your Best Impression Blog   ·   August 13, 2009

I was surprised to discover that simplifying my life didn’t automatically mean that I’d slowed down, too. The speed of life on the fast track permeates every area of our lives. Hurrying becomes a habit. Even after we’ve simplified many of our daily routines, if we’re still surrounded by fast-moving people and phones that never stop ringing, slowing down can take a major effort.

 Start by thinking about how you can slow down your morning routine. Getting up even half an hour earlier so you won’t have to rush out the door will make a big difference in the pace of your entire day.

 Take the time to sit down for your morning meal. Eat in a leisurely manner so you can feast on each bite. Eliminate the distractions of the radio, TV, and morning paper. Simply enjoy eating.

 Make the gathering, preparation, and consumption of food a conscious part of your inner quest, especially if you have lunch or dinner in fast-paced restaurants away from the peace and quiet you have established in your home. In fact, as much as possible, avoid fast-paced restaurants for your midday meal. Have your lunch on a park bench in the sun or sitting on the grass in the shade.

 Plan to leave home in plenty of time so you don’t arrive at the office panting at the start of your workday. If possible, walk to work, or take the bus or some other form of public transportation so you won’t have to compete in rush hour traffic. If you do drive, make a point of staying within the posted speed limit. Learn to appreciate moving with purpose at a leisurely pace.

 Place Post-it notes around your home or office to remind yourself to slow down. Over and over I found that rushing through a project meant getting it wrong and losing time in the end by having to do it over, either partially or completely. Take your time and do it right in the first place, and enjoy the process as you go along.

 Make a concerted effort to examine all the areas of your life, and figure out where you can slow down. If you’ve simplified a lot of your daily and weekly routines, you now have more time. Use some of it to reduce your overall pace of life so you can derive more pleasure from each thing you do throughout the day.

 Slowing down will help you keep in touch with how you feel about what you’re doing, and make it easier to connect with your inner self.