Photo by Andrew Galligan Photography.
This is a topic that is very close to home indeed.
I am converting from being chronically busy, over planner, over committed, running around lady…to someone who truly enjoys an afternoon at home with my kids, no plans, or a morning with space for peaceful strolls, errands, and a few work moments from my phone, but with ample time to explore new places or just let the kids be kids. I savor the slowness of some days, and still mix it up with energized out and about days…but overall, we’re chasing slow, as part of our move to a slower pace that happened 6 months ago.
It’s been incredible to watch a shift in the culture for many of us, as we wake up and realize that busyness has been glorified, we feel guilty, boring or unmotivated if we have space in our life? How and why did we let ourselves get so busy with individually good activities and commitments, and then over-whelmed by it, in a vicious cycle…to the point where we’re spending more time out of our homes than in it, or hours of carpool/drop offs? Or for single folks, how did work and other commitments mean that you have less than 7 hours a day in your own dwelling or for your own pursuits!
I’m learning from children.. life outside of a schedule.
You know how kids can go to a playground or out in the yard and play for hours; literally lose track of time? What a gift.
For someone like me, that’s challenging but a blessed reminder that our days are not just about checking off tiny boxes, but about expansive BEING in the moment. In each moment that is given to us.
So, clearing the schedule is like inviting magic back in, and letting yourself get curious, what will the day bring?
Potentially, you may get lost in an activity that you’re passionate about, you can, thanks to your newly prioritized life.
This is my first time writing out these new principles of living, so share your thoughts with me, and we’ll keep embracing this new life together, the life of “chasing slow“.
- This is one that’s helped me tremendously…to clear mental space and enjoy the days more: Menu Plan, and shop the plan. It doesn’t sound ground breaking and it doesn’t have to be fancy. For whatever reason, having that set up on Sunday when you go into the week, can change everything about the flow of Monday and the week ahead. I love a good menu planner/shopping list template, and I snatched up a similiar one at anthropology earlier this year, which helps us tremendously, to not only cut down on mental space, but on frequent pesky trips to the store…such a time suck!–but to also better use the things we get from the store. I also strategically use Blue Apron.
- Look at your schedule for the week, with potential obligations, and do 1-2 LESS than you had already committed to on each day (and I don’t mean flake out on people)…On the days when things are packed, even with the good stuff, we tend to enjoy it all less because we’re thinking logistics…getting from point A to B. It’s a luxury to be able to savor and enjoy each activity without having to think ahead or worry about squeezing things in. I’m learning this lesson, and it helps tremendously. I’ll look at my week ahead and slash or move things around in my planner to allow 30 min to 1 hours in btwn…does anyone else do this? It’s a true joy to not always be rushing.
- Batch your errands. This is like #1…so obvious but so helpful when implemented. If you have to run to the post office, do the grocery run then too, or wait and do all your errands on specific days and times of the week when you know it’s a lower productivity timeslot for you. You can take a great quiz here if you’re someone who has flexible work or just needs to figure out when they are most productive. Plus…we live in an era of online shopping, and I’ll share another post with my top 10 time-savers using sites, while also being able to indulge in local, conscious consumption
- Finally…while saying NO to over-scheduling, overwhelm, constant running around, you’re saying YES to meaningful moments with friends, and loved ones. Schedule in the social time as much as you schedule the other stuff. This is a large part of what we look forward to when looking at our planners, day by day, and, according to Blue Zones author Dan Beuttner, is an important indicator of how long we will live, and how healthy we will be.
What do you do to create space, peace and joy in your week? #slowisthenewbusy
I know for myself, as I’ve begun saying yes to less…I’ve thought alot about what I’m creating space FOR…and those priorities help drive the motivation for the rest of it to be simpler. We discuss that and so much more in my Life by Design course starting in the new year…I hope you’ll join us!