Lately I’ve been meditating on and reading about the benefits of slowing down. It’s fascinating to ponder the pace of our lives and how it affects almost everything, including our ability to see and experience good things. Slowing down the rhythm of our lives takes effort, sacrifice and intention and also goes against our current culture. I’m in the process of working on making changes in my own life, through habits and recognition, so I can reap the many benefits of slowing down.
Are We Really in a Hurry?
Most of my contemplation has come from a great book titled, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer (find it here). The book is geared toward a Christian reader but the precepts in it apply to everyone. We are all in a hurry. This “hurry” happens not when we have things to do, but when we have too much to do. Everyone has good and productive things to do like work, taking care of family, being part of community, getting involved and having fun. These are all good and normal things. What makes us hurry is when we have too much to do and not enough time.
Our current culture has held busyness up as a badge of honor. It seems like the successful people and those living the most glamorous life are those who are constantly busy, always on the go and always having things to do. It’s not so glamorous to post on Instagram that you have nothing planned for the day and no place to go. We’ve gotten to the point where we respond to the question, “How are you?” with, “Oh good. Busy.”, and that is not only the norm but also a symbol of success and happiness.
Why Are We So Busy?
There are so many reasons why we, as a culture, feel busy and hurried. The cause of our pace of life is not just one thing, but many happening simultaneously, which is part of the problem.
First, our work days have gotten longer. We live in a time of technology that allows remote working. What does that mean? It means that we bring more work home, work on vacation and have a harder time saying no to requests. Second, our culture values busyness and success in a way that perpetuates striving to fill our calendars with more. We want to present the image that we have lots to do and are doing as much or more than our friends and colleagues. People like to post and share about “doing it all” because this is seen as a measure of wealth and happiness.
Finally, I think that the internet and cells phones are a big contributor to our busyness. Phones, in particular, are a source of constant distraction. The 24 hour news cycle and communication right at our fingertips provides a never ending stream of entertainment. We are never without something to do and constant reminders of when to do them.
The Problem With Being in a Hurry
While I am certainly not promoting being lazy or unproductive, I do think that always being in a hurry decreases our ability to enjoy life. When we’re constantly in a hurry, we are often impatient with those around us. We can easily get irritable when we run from one thing to the next and we don’t allow any margin in our day. With a full calendar, we don’t have extra time to stop and talk with strangers, help our neighbor, reflect on priorities or allow for impromptu experiences. We can get so focused on what we have to do next that we don’t notice the amazing or heartwarming or beautiful things right in front of us.
As I think about choosing to see the good around us and taking time to appreciate the many positive things with gratitude, I have a hard time believing it gets easier when we get busier. As John Mark Comer says in his book, “Hurry kills joy, gratitude, appreciation; people in a rush don’t have time to enter the goodness of the moment”. I couldn’t agree with him more. Being busy, at least for me, pushes out being present because my mind is always focused on what is next.
Hurry kills joy, gratitude, appreciation; people in a rush don’t have time to enter the goodness of the moment.
John Mark Comer
The Solution is Slowing Down
The unchanging reality is that we all have only 24 hours in a day. We all have the same finite amount of time and it is our choice how to use it. While we cannot add hours to our day, we can slow our pace and prioritize how we spend our given time.
There are many benefits to slowing down. When we slow down we allow space and “margin” for things that take time. Relationships take time. Love takes time. Going deep instead of staying on the surface takes time. Prioritizing our lives takes time. Noticing and appreciating the good around us requires time. Slowing down our pace of life allows time for all of these good and important things. The solution to the problem of a hurried life, as John Mark Comer concludes, is to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters.
How Do We Slow Down?
I think the problem of too much hurry is an example of something that is easier to identify than to fix. It’s hard to go against culture, against our work patterns and against society’s measure of success. It’s not easy to resist the pull of Twitter, Netflix and notifications. I know first-hand the pressures of balancing work life with family life. However, I also know that the benefits of slowing down outweigh the continuation of hurrying through my days.
In order to slow down and have our lives revolve around what really matters, we have to know what really matters. I’ve written before about the power of having a plan and setting priorities (you can read that here). I encourage you to think about what’s most important in your life and how you want to spend your time. Then consider what things truly need to get done and what things are taking up time but not lining up with your priorities. Allow time in your day for the unexpected by choosing to sometimes say “no” to the many requests on your time.
Slowing down your pace of life will surprise you with opportunities. You’ll have opportunities for deeper relationships, moments of peace, time for reflection and time for rest. Best of all, you’ll have more opportunities to see and appreciate all the goodness that life has to offer!
Challenge for this week:
- Take time to determine your priorities.
- Evaluate your calendar and remove, as much as you are able, the things that consume your time and don’t align with your priorities.
- Be conscious of how you spend your 24 hours each day – make them count!