It is now the end of May and I am amazed at how quickly this year is moving. Everywhere I go I hear people saying how fast time is going. I often feel this too and so I thought I would share some musings on what can be done to slow time down.
Being Present – The first thing I thought about is Einstein’s statement that time is a 3 dimensional construct and that in the quantum field past, present and future happen simultaneously. For me this means being present in the moment because the present moment is the point of creation for the future.
One of the best ways to be present in the moment is through mindfulness practice. By simply slowing down and breathing we feel calmer and more grounded in the now. As we focus on our breath, and being present to ourselves and our surroundings, feeling what we feel, and noticing what we notice, we cannot feel rushed or urgent. This practice is great to do midway though a long task, between tasks and any time we need to “reboot” ourselves.
Mediation – I also mediate every day and have done for over 20 years. This daily practice grounds me and provides a calmness to deal with what my day throws at me – it is my resilience strategy.
Distractions steal time – How we organise and prioritise our time is another way to manage how we feel about time. I can be very easily distracted which makes me less productive (although instantly gratified!). Then I get stressed because I allocate time to do things and don’t get them finished because I am focusing on more than one thing at a time. When I allocate time for a task and then focus on it completely, no distractions, no emails, no phone etc, I am much more productive and much less stressed, and I finish the task faster so I have more time!
Know your biorhythms – I am a morning person, while other people are night owls. I am more focused and fresh in the morning so I allocate my uninterrupted thinking, creative and productive time when my energy, clarity and focus are the highest.
Taking regular mini-breaks – Breaking up larger tasks into smaller tasks and taking regular mini breaks enables us to reboot our brains and be more productive. It is also important to move around – go for a short walk, do some stretches and get your body moving after sitting. It gets your blood pumping and your brain reoxygenated to focus more readily to the task again.
Decluttering – Clutter is “noise” that can make people feel overwhelmed. It also takes much longer to find things when things are not organised and ordered. Organisation is not one of my strengths, so each decluttering/organising session is a major milestone for me and I love it! I am a work in progress, bit by bit, removing and organising the clutter that unconsciously distracts me and makes me stressed.
Also, decluttering what goes into your brain, slowing down the sensory input, by turning off devices, TV etc and instead just being and thinking. This is another way to slow down to speed up, and will give you more time, and enhance your thinking, creativity, productivity and joy.
I am really interested in what helps you to slow down. Please send me an email to let me know your thoughts. I will share these ideas so we can all more effectively manage the tyranny of urgency that surrounds us.