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INTRODUCTION
Time is something that I often can’t wrap my mind around. I look back in time and things feel so far away… yet when I look back at photos, I find myself often saying “that was already 5 years ago!” I look to the future, and it seems so vast. It's an empty canvas waiting to be painted or a blank page desiring to be filled. My future feels endless. And it excites me! When I remember to, I look at the time in the present. These few moments when we realize our current surroundings and fully take them in–sounds, smells, sights, people, and feelings–are the moments we cherish the most.
Looking at time in the present is different from viewing it facing the past or the future. It seems to stand still. There is nothing to worry about because that is the future’s problem. There is nothing to dwell on because that belongs to the past. All I am humanly capable of is being exactly where I am in that precise moment of history. How freeing that is!!
However, I find that I don’t realize these moments as often as I wish I would. Maybe it's because I’m a college student, so I constantly have future assignments and exams forcing me to look to the future. Or possibly it's because I have been a hard-core planner my entire life, so one of the ways I find some comfort in this ever-changing world around me is by knowing my plan. Maybe it’s because I cherish every season of my life for different reasons, and I look back at the lovely memories and people of my past, and so much of me longs to go back and relive a day in that time. Or maybe everyone struggles with this. Because we are human, we dwell on the past and long for the future, and are so rarely ever fully satisfied with where we are today. Can we change that right now? I propose we can.
Where to begin? Well, as you now know, I am no expert on this subject. BUT it is something that I am passionate about, that fills my mind… and my bookshelf. It is truly something that I strive for, to “live in the moment” as people say. That statement sounds so cliche, but I believe we can bring meaning and true life back into it. The people who know me, like truly know me, are aware of my passion for slow and mindful living and resistance to the temptations of hustle culture. This stems from not only my own life experiences but from my observations of others. I know I am not the only one who sees how hustle and productivity have become the pillars of many people's lives. As we take note of the present and look to the future, what kind of lives do we want to live, and how are we going to get there? Well, here's what I propose.
SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE
One of the best ways to slow down your life is to simplify it. We often take on more than we can handle. In our consumerist culture, it is so easy to collect random stuff that clutters our surroundings and distracts us from what truly matters. Most of the time, having more possessions creates more problems. By getting rid of things that aren’t necessary, then they won’t take up our time or our space. Having less clothing makes it easier to get dressed in the morning because there are fewer options to choose from and fewer outfits that can be put together. So, I suggest donating or selling the clothes that you don’t wear often or for special occasions. Those old t-shirts from college, the 5K you ran 10 years ago, or the free shirt you got for volunteering can all be donated to a place where people can use them. By paring down our closets, we can lessen the time it takes to manage our clothes, do laundry, and get dressed in the morning.
Another way to simplify your life is by taking unnecessary apps off your phone. It can be tempting to have an app for every small thing in our lives, but are they absolutely necessary? Take a few minutes to look through your phone and take off all the apps that you don’t use. I challenge you to take this further by turning your smartphone back into a “dumbphone.” Remove all of the apps that are not necessary. You could go as far as to remove everything that doesn’t pertain to calling, texting, or taking photos. This would be very life-changing but is fairly impractical for most people. Instead, I encourage you to reflect on the time that you are spending on your phone and if that is time that you would like to get back. Look at your screen time and see where your minutes, or hours, are spent. If you are wasting 2 hours on social media every day, maybe it is time to remove certain apps from your phone. If you are finding yourself unable to disconnect from work and are constantly checking your email, then I encourage you to delete the email app from your phone and only check it when you are working on a computer. Personally, this is something that I have struggled with because, without personal social media accounts, I can find myself being distracted by other apps such as email, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. It is slightly embarrassing that I catch myself scrolling on LinkedIn every so often. I have felt a pull to delete the email app from my phone to help separate work and home life so that has been my recent challenge.
Cooking meals can be time-consuming and stressful for many people, especially when coming home after a long work day and having to figure out what to make. A great way to simplify this part of your life is to prepare meals ahead of time. This can be done on the weekends when many people have more time to grocery shop and prepare for the week. Having some meals fully prepped in the freezer or having ingredients chopped up can make the cooking process faster, easier, more fun, and less stressful at the end of the day. The meals for the week can also be decided on beforehand. On Sunday, write down a list of the meals for the week so that you have one less thing that you have to come up with during the week. Not to mention, you will probably be more creative when you have time to plan versus quickly whipping up some mac and cheese after a hard day at work. This can be helpful for people who are trying to implement healthier eating habits because when the food is already prepared, it is easiest to eat what is available.
These are just a few practical ways to simplify your life that can help people slow down and appreciate what they have, and give them more time to be present.
SLOW YOUR BODY DOWN
A practical tool for incorporating slow living and a calm mind into daily life is to physically slow your body down. Something that I found myself doing was walking extremely fast throughout my day. It felt more efficient, and it didn’t make sense for me to walk slower. However, I was challenged by John Mark Comer in his book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry to walk slower. I resonated with him when he wrote about how his fast walk was something that he was proud of. It seems odd to put into words, but that is exactly how I felt. I liked being a fast walker, but when I challenged myself to physically slow my body down and walk slower, I noticed a big change in my life. I see my surroundings more. I stop and talk to people that I would have previously sped past. I may take note of a small plant poking up through the soil, someone’s laugh as I pass by, a pretty dress that a woman is wearing, or how the clouds are creating unique shapes in the sky. There are endless things to notice and be grateful for when you slow down your pace. By leaving the house just 2 minutes earlier, you get extra margin time. Now, you don't have to rush when going from one place to another but you can enjoy a slower pace. This will automatically calm your mind because you will have some space to breathe, appreciate the moment, and prepare yourself for whatever you have next on your agenda.
TAKE BACK THE MARGIN
Margin time is something that people don’t often think about. It is the small amount of time between scheduled activities, such as that 5-minute break in a meeting, the 3 minutes you wait for a late coworker before lunch, the 2 minutes at a stoplight, or the 10 minutes right when you wake up. These small moments slow your life down and allow you to be present with your surroundings. During these moments, many people turn to their phones to scroll on social media, check their email, or even look at the weather. My challenge for you is to use these micro moments of margin to stop the busyness and be present. Let your brain catch up and just be. When you take back these moments of margin, then you will realize that you have much more time in your day than you think you do. Often, I will bring a book with me whenever I go somewhere; that way, if someone is late to a meeting or if I find myself with a spare 10 minutes in my day, I can enjoy reading or just sitting and being present.
MAKE TIME FOR SILENCE
In our world today, there is so much noise. People walk around with AirPods in their ears, turn on the television in the home, listen to the radio in the car, and experience the subtle buzz of the highway. These noises, though not inherently bad, are always filling the space. This constant stimulation can cause us to be overwhelmed when we don’t even realize it. We rarely make time for silence, but this time it is necessary to slow down our lives and process our thoughts. In the silence, we can be present with our mind, we can reflect on our day, and we can work through anything that may be causing us to be stressed, anxious, or worried. It is in these moments that our brain is allowed to be quiet. Not to mention, our best ideas come when we are bored, so this is especially necessary for creative people.
KNOW YOUR PRIORITIES
Slowing down your life is vital to assessing your priorities. This is because, in slowing down and simplifying your life, you will have to cut out some things that aren't necessary. It can be easy to over-commit when so many opportunities arise, especially when they are all good ones! But know that anything you say yes to, you are saying no to something else. If you say yes to more than you can handle, then it is very likely that you will find yourself feeling stretched too thin and unable to invest fully in these commitments. This can come with work responsibilities, relationships, social events, and more! Assessing your commitments and reflecting on how each of them is turning you into the person that you want to become helps us choose the best ways that we can spend our time.
CLOSING
These are all small ways that help us slow down our lives and truly live in the present moment. They help us appreciate exactly where we are in life instead of always dwelling on the past or hoping for the future. Time will feel different when you are intentional about how you are spending it, and you will be able to fully be available for those around you. I leave you with encouragement and a challenge to fight back against hustle culture and to make slow, mindful living a priority in your life. You will never regret it.
Love,
Sydney Lynne