7 Habits For A Slow And Intentional Life. Doing less doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means giving your life more space to breathe.
Slow is the new fast. We live in an age of information overload, where everything from our phones to our jobs is constantly demanding our attention. If you’re trying to slow down your life and reclaim some peace, there are plenty of things you can do that won’t feel like work at all—they’ll just become habits after a while. Here are seven habits that will help you make time for yourself:
Less is more
If you’re like most people, your days are filled with so much stuff that you don’t even have time to slow down and enjoy the things that matter most to you. You work hard, but you don’t feel like you’re making progress on the things that matter—or maybe even getting worse! But what if we told you that less can be a great thing?
It’s easy to get comfortable doing lots of stuff. You may not even realise how much is weighing on your mind and body until it all comes crashing down, and then suddenly it feels like there’s nowhere left to turn but upward. The first step to slowing down and simplifying? This one’s simple too: clear out the clutter from your life so there’s room for new things and experiences that matter most to you. Then ask yourself: What does my ideal day look like? How do I want my days to flow from morning until night? Are there activities or tasks that are taking up too much space in my calendar? If so, stop doing them or delegate them out; even better yet: get rid of them altogether!
Create time and space for margins
We all have 24 hours in a day, but how we choose to use those hours is key. A margin is the unscheduled time that you can use in whatever way refreshes you or helps you get back on track with life. It’s your breathing room or your schedule’s “emergency fund” for when you’re running late or something unexpected happens. It’s leaving enough time between tasks for a cuppa.
To create a margin in your life, begin by asking yourself what your highest priorities are. What do you need? Where are there places where you can give yourself more breathing room? Once you have identified these areas, take action on one small decision at a time until they become habits of consistency.
Here are a few practical ways to achieve that breathing room:
- Wake up earlier – this gives you a few extra moments in the mornings
- Don’t overbook yourself – remember that you need breathing room in between tasks
- Say “no” to things you don’t really have to do – don’t guilt yourself into saying “yes” to things you’re not fully invested in.
- Do the dishes and tidy the house before bed – because waking up to a clean house is the best!
- Eat the frog! – Respond to emails right away, clean as you go and put things away as soon as you’re done using them (guilty!)
When life speeds up, slow down
It’s a simple concept that can be hard to put into action. We live in a world where everything is moving faster and faster, but sometimes we need to take a moment and enjoy what we’re doing.
The next time you find yourself rushing through something, stop and ask yourself why you are rushing. Are you saving time by running through the process quickly or do you just want it done so that you can move on to something else? If it’s the latter, consider slowing down and enjoying your work. It might feel like more of an effort at first, but as soon as your mind slows down with your body, you’ll begin enjoying what once seemed like drudgery.
Shape your own experience
We can choose to be present and aware, grateful for the moment, or not. We shape our day by the things that we choose to do and think about during it. The more you practice these habits, the easier they will become over time and before long you’ll find yourself living with purpose every day of your life!
Do you have a hard time getting up in the morning? Then decide to make your bed first thing in the morning. This will help you get into a good routine of making sure everything is clean and organized before going on with your day.
Do you tend to procrastinate when it comes to washing dishes? Then decide to wash one dish every time you eat something at home instead of waiting until all dishes are dirty before doing them all at once after dinner.
Starting with a clean kitchen will make you able to enjoy any meal because you don’t have to start your meal by clearing space to create the next. That way there will be fewer messes created by too many dirty dishes sitting around too long before anything gets washed out properly again!
The not-now zone
If you’re anything like me, you probably have a million things on your mind right now.
There’s just so much to do and so much to think about—and it’s only going to get worse as the day goes on.
And if you’re trying to be intentional about how you use your time, it can be really easy to feel like everything is happening at once. You start off the day with a plan for what you want to accomplish, but then something else comes up, and before you know it, your schedule is booked solid and there are no more slots left.
The solution? A not-now zone!
A not-now zone is a place where stuff gets stored until it’s time to think about it again. This can be helpful because it gives us space between the present moment and whatever we’re trying not to think about right now. When we’re in this space, we can feel like we have more control over when or if something will happen. We might even find ourselves excited by the prospect of seeing something through!
Your not-now zone could be a spot in your diary, a task list in Google Calender, an app on your phone or just a notepad you carry with you so you can jot down the idea and then come back to it later.
Trust your intuition
When you trust your intuition, you’ll feel more confident in all areas of your life. When things don’t feel right and you’re not sure if they are or aren’t, listen to that little voice that says, “I’m uncomfortable with this.” Trust it! If something doesn’t feel good for whatever reason, trust that feeling and act accordingly.
Maybe there’s another way around the situation or around the person who is making you uncomfortable. Or there’s someone else who can help create a different outcome than what was initially offered up by one person alone. Trust yourself enough to know when something doesn’t fit into your life goals so that no matter what happens next (whether good or bad), at least you have done everything in your power to make sure that it is truly serving all parties involved (including yourself). And remember: intuition is not just about listening but also about speaking out loud when necessary; sometimes saying no will save us from ourselves!
No is just as valid as yes
It can be challenging to say no, especially when you want something. But saying “yes” is not always the best choice.
You need to be able to tell yourself that you’re okay without the thing you want. If it’s not going to bring value into your life, then why do it? It’s okay if that thing doesn’t happen for you this time around—other opportunities are coming up in the future that may be more aligned with what brings value into your life and helps your soul reach its fullest potential.
If permitting yourself to say no means letting go of some opportunities and experiences, then so be it! This will allow room for other things which might end up being more fulfilling than whatever was offered originally.
You can make a life that reflects what’s most important to you
We can all be more intentional about how we spend our time and energy, especially when it comes to how we use our days.
So ask yourself: What is most important to me? What do I want from my life? How can I create a life that reflects what’s most important to me?
These questions aren’t easy, but they are worth asking and answering—not just once in a while, but regularly. In the book “The Power of Full Engagement,” Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz write about making this kind of thinking an ongoing practice in our lives: “When it comes to personal development,” they say, “intentionality is more effective than intention.” That’s because it helps us become more mindful of our time and energy; more aware of what’s important; clearer on what we want from our lives; considerate toward others when taking action based on those intentions (or not).
This is a pretty good start for a slow and intentional life. By incorporating these habits into your daily routine, you’ll be able to keep yourself from being overwhelmed by the fast-paced world around us. You can stay focused on what matters most to you by creating time and space in your life for the things that make it worth living.
