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Slowly But Surely
Thursday, 1 Jul 2010
Words by Sarah Johnson
Slow and steady wins the race. It's the punchline of Aesop's time-honoured fable, learnt by generations of children all over the world, yet it's an approach to life that has lost its lustre. In this techno-drenched 21st century, many of our lives resemble a sprint to the finish.
Take this typical start to a working day: From the starter's gun (the clang of our alarm), we dash through our morning routines, thrust our kids into school like a baton change, before sculling a takeaway coffee as we simultaneously send an SMS and finally skid into work. And that's just the first hour, with the finishing line nowhere in sight.
It's not difficult to see why we're tempted by this fast-paced lifestyle. We're surrounded by metaphors and imagery that regale speed over slow. Speed has verve and vivacity. It's sexy, adrenaline-filled and invokes visions of shiny, red sports cars. Slow, on the other hand, is synonymous with being stupid, lazy and unproductive. Yet, it seems the concept of slow, is well, slowly gathering steam. Simply dip your toes in the waves of the web and you'll find numerous devotees of the slow phenomenon.
We stumbled upon Christine Louise Hohlbaum, a multi-talented (not to be confused with multi-tasking) PR consultant, blogger, mother, actor and author of “The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in our 24/7 World” (St. Martin's Press). A self-confessed recovering speedaholic, life couldn't go fast enough for Christine before her slow redemption. She talked at pace, became enraged with sedate drivers and made a mockery of her thesis deadline, by submitting it a year early. A product of the US Ivy League system, Christine says she was honed and trained to achieve above all else.
That was until the day she stood in an ice cream parlour with her three-year-old daughter. In awe of the kaleidoscope of flavours, the young girl was taking more time to choose than her increasingly edgy Mum felt necessary. “I found myself getting really impatient with her. I was still so much on the fast track of corporate America,” says Christine. “I thought to myself at that moment, 'I am cheating my daughter of one of childhood's most delightful experiences of taking in the possibility of this ice cream.” The rest of the day Christine revelled in a slow reverie: feeling the warmth of the sun, watching as her daughter savoured the ice cream (vanilla with chocolate sprinkles) and even driving home at the speed limit. “I started to realise that slow feels really good,” recalls Christine.
During the next six years (note the leisurely pace), Christine crafted a slower existence, admittedly aided by her family's move to a “little cow town” outside of Munich, Germany. Now, Christine blogs about her unhurried existence at Power of Slow and last year published her book, The Power of Slow. Within it are 10 slow themes, each embedded with 10 corresponding slow principles. The last principle, but certainly not least, is choice. Christine says choice weaves its way through all of the other 100 principles in the book. “There are so many people that are hungry for permission to slow down,” asserts Christine. “They're saying: Somebody tell me that it's okay because I've been living at a pace that doesn't work for me for too long.” Christine says it comes down to mindful living and that means choosing how you spend your day; choosing to be focused on just one task at a time; choosing to take mini breaks and to say no with kindness. If we make clear choices, we're less likely to fall into unhelpful habits or become a victim (“I can't help it if my boss is so mean”). “When I talk about slow, it doesn't mean going at a turtle's pace, but go at a pace that works for you and be mindful of it as you do it.” She adds that, “some people's fast is other people's slow. You don't have to live in the Bavarian countryside to live the power of slow. You can live in New York.”
If you'll excuse the pun, let's take a quick look at some of the ways you can save time and slow down:
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Invest in your personal bank account of time
Every day, everybody has 24 hours. The question is: What are you going to do with that time? Christine suggests you chunk your day into units and view them as Lego blocks that you use to 'build' your day. “It's about helping people understand that they have more control than they realise.”
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The myth of multi-tasking
While computers, with their central processing units, can indeed accomplish more than one task at a time, humans – even women - cannot. Ironically, it's the speed and accrual of new technologies that challenges us to multi-task. Christine explains that once upon a time, multi-tasking was sending a fax while getting a cup of coffee. Now multi-tasking is tweeting, while posting on facebook, reading an instant message and chatting on Skype.
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Learn how to say no
If you don't take away anything else from this article, Christine says heed this: saying yes all the time is one of the biggest time wasters. You must learn to say no with kindness to the things that aren't in alignment with your true purpose.
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Procrastination
A simple trick to help avoid time-consuming procrastination is to promise yourself 5 minutes. “If I do this thing for 5 minutes and I can't do it anymore, then I'll just stop.” Christine says that more often than not, once you've started, you get into the flow and before you know it, the job is done and you feel so much better.
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Take mini breaks
Take short breaks regularly to stretch your legs and fill your lungs with fresh air. Rather than being disruptive, mini breaks help to sustain momentum and increase productivity.
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Focus
If your job entails a close relationship with a computer, try to close any applications that aren't necessary for the task at hand. Your computer's hard drive will thank you and you won't be distracted by audible email notifications or be tempted to check twitter or facebook. Christine admits this is a challenge for many of us now addicted to staying connected, so she suggests that you allocate set times during the day to check your emails.
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Buddy up
Like any major lifestyle change, it's a good idea to enlist a friend to help you stay on track. Be warned that if, like Christine, your offspring becomes your default buddy, this system can backfire. “If I say to my daughter, you've got to get to school, she says, Mum, I'm living the power of slow!”
Finally, we'll leave you with a mantra Christine uses regularly, that fosters a positive relationship with time. It's called the Time Abundance mantra and goes like this: “I have more than enough time to do what is required to fulfil my ultimate purpose.” It's one of Christine's favourite mantras when she feels the pressure of getting from A to B at a set time. “I just breathe in and I say, I'm time abundant and I'm going to arrive at the exact time that I need to.” This way, she can let go of any attachment to a specific time and focus on the task at hand, which is driving safely and efficiently. She also arrives in a less frazzled state!
The bottom line is that while speed is useful at times, doing everything at a furious pace is not healthy or enjoyable. When we're sprinting to the finish line, everything passes by in a blur. We lose the opportunity to take in the scenery, savour moments and engage with the experiences and people in our lives. So take a breath and embrace the slow!
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