022: Slow Down

Do you own your time, or does it own you?

Do you feel like things are moving so quickly these days that it’s a struggle to keep up? Is there always another pressing deadline, another email, or a task to follow up on? Does it feel like it’s not possible to keep up with all of it? Why is this out of your control? We keep so busy with all the things that ‘need’ to get done, we never ask if they ‘have’ to be done in the first place. 

Time is always the same, it is not changing. We - collectively - have decided it is worth living in this fast paced life. It started long before smartphones and ubiquitous wifi. Our obsession with the latest and fastest technology has led us down this road, with few questions asked. We’re now reaping the ‘benefits’ of that progress. We can do more in a day, we can engage more in a day, we can reply to more people in a day. But with this comes the attitude that if you’re not doing more, you’re not doing enough. But again, why, why are we doing this to ourselves?

Does it really matter if it takes you 24 hours to reply to that email? Is the world a better place if you do it right away. How about instead of jumping every time a new message comes in you take control of your time. You slow things down. What do YOU want to accomplish today? What is actually important today? How about you focus on that?

You know those moments when you manage to completely disconnect. Maybe it’s on a vacation, or on a walk, or swimming, or just talking with a friend. The world seems to slow down? Why don’t we chase that feeling? Why aren’t we all trying for more of that, instead of just more ‘more’. That is in our control. We make the decision to jump when the email dings, we make the decision to put other priorities ahead of our own. We make the decision to try to speed everything up. 

Time management isn’t simply about being efficient to accomplish the most things. It’s about creating the time and space to do the things that are important to you. There will always be things to do. You can keep busy checking things off the list or you can carve out the space to pursue your passions. Making space to create shouldn't be an afterthought, it should be a priority for you. 

Slow down - slow everything down. Don’t let the world control you. Take control of it yourself. 

~ Steve