In her book Inner Simplicity, Elaine St. James, says that “Hurrying becomes a habit”. Hurrying seems to have its own momentum.

She also posits that being around busy people makes it that much harder for you to slow down. She advises that we should start to think about how we can slow down our routine. This might include things like waking up a little earlier so you can really enjoy your breakfast instead of rushing out the door, focusing on a single task when you have ten other tasks pending, or leisurely walking to work instead of speed-walking. She also recommends avoiding fast-paced restaurants for lunch and to instead head to a park or a quite place and spend time in nature.

One thing I’ve been trialling has been to stop constantly learning new technologies on the train ride to and from work. I’ve started just listening to some music or simply staring out the window for at least one of the daily commutes. This has really freed up my mind to ponder things more deeply. It has also stopped me rushing as much as I used to.

Elaine observes that:

Over and over I found that rushing through a project meant getting it wrong and losing time in the end by having to do it over either partially or completely. Take your time to do it right in the first place and enjoy the process as you go along.

This is something I’ve found to be true. Rushing a project never gives you any satisfaction. The results are always less than optimal. The best part about slowing down is the enjoyment you get by being more present in what you are doing. You notice more things around you. You do better work. You react less. You enjoy life more. :)