4 Delightfully Simple Steps To Embrace Slow Living Even If You Are Busy

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“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

— John Lennon.

A lot of us rush through life. We probably don’t mean to, but we just have SO much to do! You know what I mean? That feeling of not having enough time? Feeling like there is always another task on your to-do list to tackle? And so, we flow through life, one task to another, one event to another, one place to another. How can you embrace slow living?

Pause.

What about YOU? What do YOU seek from life?

Before the pandemic, I used to go with the flow a lot. But not in a nice way, like flowing down the river of life. More like life swept me in its strong current and I had no choice but to be pushed along.

My schedule looked like this: I woke up at around 6-7 am. I knew I had to workout so I would go to the gym. I would rush through the shower and panic while getting dressed so that I am not super late to my job. There, I sit, I work, and think about what I have to do when I get home. I used to get home, rush through my to-do list, and then wait to get into bed so I can watch some Netflix while eating junk and then pass out around 1 am. And the next morning, my (25) alarms would ring, I would drag myself out of bed, and start again.

That is an exhausting cycle. Yet that’s what most of us used to do. And, truth be told, maybe you still do that. You get caught up in the moment and the nitty-gritty in your to-list. But who cares if your laundry is gets washed tomorrow, not today? Who cares if you don’t have your meal prep perfectly prepared? I don’t know what is in your to-do list, but maybe there is something that you don’t need to stress out about so much.

But then the pandemic hit. It was kind of like a big dam that forced the river to stop and collect in a lake, where we could finally look around, and assess.

This is the good thing with the pandemic. We are all reassessing. We all get the chance to practice start slow living.

What is Slow Living?

Slow living is a lifestyle that embraces finding happiness in the little things. In our modern lifestyle, we often romanticize busyness. We celebrate it and wear it as a badge of honor, without realizing we are just working our lives away. Slow living focuses on seeking opportunities to disconnect, slow down, be present, and enjoy little moments.

What lights you up when you wake up in the morning? What would make you feel AMAZING? Keep reading for four ways to make you fall in love with your life again.

Why is Slow Living important?

Are you rushing down the tumultuous torrent of life, or are you enjoying the lazy river?

What is the point of life if you never take out time to enjoy it?

In another scenario, let’s say you really enjoy working and getting things done. Still, constantly working and forgetting to take out time for yourself leads to burnout. This results in reduced productivity, and getting LESS done, which will make you feel worse.

1. List the Small Things

If you want to be a little happier, then start with the basics.

It is so easy to ignore yourself and forget about your life, your goals, your dreams, your soul. What lights you up when you wake up in the morning? What would make you feel content? What would make you feel AMAZING?

Make a list of things that make you happy. It can be small. It could be a delicious hot cup of coffee. It could be great music. Playing football. Dancing. Cooking. Or maybe it is re-watching childhood cartoons. Whatever it is, make a short list.

2. Where Does Your Time Go?

Then, see if you are spending any time doing these things. You might be surprised to see how much of your life is taken doing things you “have” to do. But what is the point of that if there is no time to enjoy the good things?

Practically, you might have to track your time. Jot it down on a piece of paper, or if you are like me, use a spreadsheet and just track where you spent your time each day.

If you really hate tracking time (although I really recommend it), you can just track how much time you spent on the activities you do just for yourself (dancing, painting, reading, cooking, etc).

3. Schedule Self-love Time

Take a look at your list again and see how you can incorporate those into your daily life. If needed, schedule them into your day or week.

Set appointments with yourself where you will watch Disney movies, if that is what makes you happy.

There is no judgment. This list is not supposed to be things that are productive or make you better. This is just to invite small moments of happiness back into your life. And when you do these small things, appreciate them to ensure this act of love towards yourself also doesn’t become routine.

Sometimes we keep working even when we don’t need to. Maybe it is time to let go of your to-do list a bit. Or, reignite the passion in your work!

4. Mindfulness and Gratitude

Be Present and Thank yourself for taking out this time .

See you won’ necessarily have a perfect routine. That is fine. There is no one perfect routine or way of doing ANYTHING that you HAVE to do.

I love having coffee with music and writing in my journal in the morning. And when I do, I try to take a moment to soak up the moment and appreciate it. I’ll smell the coffee, I will feel the journal in my hands, or I’ll close my eyes for a second and notice the beats of the song I am listening to.

These small acts of love towards yourself go a long way. It makes you feel more in tune with yourself, with a greater feeling of not being swept with tsunami of life, but makes you feel like you are in control of your life and that you are living it for YOU (not for some job or for surviving or for the weekend).

You can even be mindful while doing chores. As I said before, slow living is about enjoying the small things. And that could be enjoying the warmth of the water while washing dishes and marveling at how the light hits the soap bubbles.