SLOW LIVING TIPS

 Many of us long to slow down.

And many of us desperately need to.

But too many slow living tips involve ditching everything at once for a picture-perfect slow living lifestyle.

The harsh reality of struggling finances mean that slow living idyll isn’t on offer for most families so it becomes another fantasy to fail at!!

Yet there are simple small ways to slow the crazily busy treadmill of our modern world and find more joy.

And these are the very doable slow living tips I have for you here.

They truly have brought real riches in health, happiness and resilience to my family. I do hope they help.

HOW TO START A SLOW LIVING LIFESTYLE SIMPLY

My slow living tips are NOT a strict set of rules we all must live by.

Most are tiny tweaks to strengthen our daily life whilst creating chances for us either to press pause for a period or to take the first steps on a longer journey in slower lanes.

There is no single place to start so explore first what speaks to you :

Let Go

Gentle Rhythms

Proper Rest

Unbusy

Local Living

Embracing Nature

Being In The Moment

Loving Low Info

Celebrating Seasons

Weaving just a few of these slow living tips into the fabric of our day lets us feel for real that we don’t have to hurtle hectically through our time here holding on for dear life!!

There are different slower ways to live and they can be very good.

LET GO

Letting go little by little releases the chains of anxiety that lock us onto the treadmill of busy-busy :

• Very gently declutter just a few things every single day.
• Ditch … don’t delegate.
• Stop reinventing the wheel for the sake of it when same old does fine.
• Enjoy the familiar.
• Detox from stimulants … coffee, sugar, alcohol & screens … for at least 6 weeks every year.
• Start living debt free so you stop having to run so fast to fund a lifestyle you can’t sustain …
• Stop buying things you never use.

REST PROPERLY

Resting properly truly can transform our family’s health. It is the foundation of a slow lifestyle :

• Cherish sleep …
• Learn to sleep better …
• … and stop sabotaging it.
• Have a day of rest weekly …
• … and when you just need one.
• Put aside time to energise yourself in the right way for you … introverts need time alone, extraverts need time to talk … every day.
• If you’re an introvert and get exhausted by other people, don’t try and live your life by the standards of extroverts.
• Give yourself time to recover …
• … from illness …
• … from grief …
• … from heartache …
• Take care of your circadian rhythm, get up & outside in the light early.

UNBUSY

In today’s world we worship the constant buzz of busy-busy as a symbol of both success and virtue but too many of our exhausted efforts are empty of real meaning :

• Build slack into every day.
• Stop making a virtue of having no time available for anyone.
• Stop over scheduling kids …
• … enjoy slower happier parenting.
• Learn to do more in less time and savour the time saved, don’t fill it.
• Keep plenty of weekends free.
• Clear your calendar … by half … and then by half again
• .Write a not doing list, so you consciously acknowledge all the things whirring around in your head that you’re not going to do.
• Learn to say no.
• Time block communication and only answer emails and messages in that time block.
• Travel slowly by train.

Learning to enjoy being unbusy breaks our addiction to the adrenalin of always being on the go.

GENTLE HABITS & RHYTHMS

Gentle habits & rhythms give us back some ownership of the structure of our lives so we’re not always reacting to incoming demands :

• Build simple daily habits.
• Build weekly rhythms.
• Keep going back to the same place.
• Play old games or do old jigsaws with phones off.
• Re-read books.
• Learn to done one thing better and better with your hands.
• Practice something pleasurable for five minutes every day.
• Help children learn to contribute to family chores.

LIVE LOCAL

Living more of life locally cuts the wasted hours and constant pressure of long, tight travel time tables :

• Love local.
• Walk every day wherever you can and use the downtime …
• … to talk
• … to connect with your community
• … to muse & ponder.
• Give up your car.
• Stroll, saunter, wander …
• … take time to stop and stare.
• Ride a bike.
• Holiday at home.
• It roots us in the resilience of a strong community and makes travel more exciting when we do go.

EMBRACE NATURE

By embracing nature in simple ways we can’t help but slow down and feel how it keeps time without the constant call of clock and calendar:

• Notice nature …
• … see which way the wind is blowing every day …
• … look at the stars …
• … spot what the trees are doing.
• Grow a few things but don’t go crazy just start …
• … a few simple vegetables …
• … some basic herbs …
• … a pot of spring bulbs.
• Go hiking.

BE IN THE MOMENT

A slower lifestyle allows us to be in the moment and enjoy the richness of daily life free from the nagging anxiety of diaries and to do lists :

• Notice yourself in the full flow of feeling happy … what are you doing? … do more of it?
• Make time to clean …
• Make time to cook simple healthy recipes you know off by heart …
• … be in the moment …
• … and enjoy what you’re doing.
• Get real exercise from physical work – travelling, cleaning, gardening – rather than constantly trying to squeeze in time for artificial exercise.
• Keep an eye on why you’re doing things … very often it’s not because they’re important or actually make us happy.

LOW INFO

Our chronic fear of missing out has left us addicted to news and updates that distract us from the personal practices and rhythms that truly support and sustain our lives :

• Switch off phone notifications.
• Go out without your phone.
• Go on a wifi & phone free retreat every year.
• Go on a low information diet.
• Break your cable news addiction … whatever our politics, it is equally bad for us!!
• Deinstall any apps you’re addicted to on your phone.
• Stick to one messaging app only.
• Switch your phone off when you’re with your kids.
• Unsubscribe from a couple of email lists every day.

CELEBRATE SEASONS

Marking the seasons of the year provides a profound pattern to the seasons of our lives that over commercial celebrations never reach:

• Follow the seasons …
• … join the harvest
• … sleep more in winter.
• Organise your calendar around simple traditions …
• … and enjoy the calm of the old and familiar.
• Recognise the times in the year you take on too much e.g. Christmas, holidays, new school year and work out what else you will stop doing to build in slack.
• Find time every week to connect with the past.
• My very last slow living tip is to be a little more skeptical of progress.

A forever chase after the future leaves us rootless and lost. A simpler slower lifestyle builds a stronger bridge to both the opportunities and the challenges of unknown times ahead.

What is Slow Business?

 A few years ago, as our business grew by leaps and bounds and I got to know more entrepreneurs, I realized I was approaching our  business (and entrepreneurship in general) very differently from the people around me.

WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT, I WAS APPLYING SLOW VALUES TO MY BUSINESS

Now, I’ve studied marketing and I’ve read allll the business books – and a lot of what I was doing here on the home business not only wasn’t in the books, it often flew in the face of what I’d learned at school.

And it was working.

Together with my mom and dad, in just a few short years we took our tiny (very run down) home office “hobby business” from selling a handful of handicraft products to friends and family to a full-fledged business.

Other than the year , our revenue has grown by 50% year-over-year each and every year. 

The best part?

I did it from home, in my slippers, while a full-time stay-at-home-helping my mom . And I did it by playing by my own rules.

I did it by practicing Slow Business.

Kinda  cool, amIright? Have I got you curious?

SO WTH IS SLOW BUSINESS ALL ABOUT??

In a nutshell, Slow Business applies the values of the Slow Movement to work. Slow Work is actually a thing. Yes, really. Sounds delicious, right?

Slow Business values Quality over Quantity. Less, but Better is your mantra.

Slow Business focuses on Maximizing Purpose over Profits.

Slow Business believes People Matter.

Slow Business allows you to place your values front and center.

Slow Business, done well, folds seamlessly into your overall Slow Lifestyle.

HERE’S HOW I IMPLEMENTED SLOW VALUES IN MY BUSINESS

1) I ROOTED OUT MY WHY

WHY do I want to do this work is the most important question in Slow Business. More important than financial analysis, profit and loss, market viability. THE most important.

And guess what – “making money” is the wroooong answer. You’ll never uncover your life’s work if money is your only or even primary goal. That isn’t the Slow Business way.

For me, my WHY is twofold.

First of all, I want to demonstrate for myself that committing your life to a purpose above money and greed is possible. Being of service is a key family value for us, and it’s important to me that people see me live that value daily, not just talk about it.

Second, I view my life’s work as activism. I vote, protest, write my elected officials and all that good stuff. But my true activism lies in how I live my day-to-day life.

Orientating your approach to your business with this type of WHY as your compass instead of “maximizing  profits” drastically changes . . . well, everything.

2) I APPROACHED GOAL SETTING DIFFERENTLY

Instead of starting my business plan with monetary goals, sales targets and whatnot, I asked that lovely question Wendell Berry answers so well . . . What are people for? More specifically, What am I for? What is my highest point of contribution? If I am living my life according to my values, what does my day look like?

I’d already done the 9 to 5 “successful” career thing. It made me miserable.

So instead, my goals for my business became things like :

I work from home in my slippers

I am home and available when my family specially my elders(mom & dad) need me

My work does not contribute to more “stuff” in the world – I only produce things that people truly NEED

I never grow for growth’s sake. I only seek to grow if growth makes sense for my business, family and my land and can be achieved in a healthy manner. My goals for my family and lifestyle take priority over my business goals.

My business is of a size and shape that fits within the overall framework of my life.

I apply the Hell-Yeah! test to all major decisions. If a particular opportunity is not a HELL-Yah!, it’s a hard NO.

3) I SAY NO. A LOT.

I say no to customers, opportunity, growth . . . I say NO way more than I say yes.

I say no to people who aren’t my tribe. I fire customers. I refuse to add products or services if I know I won’t enjoy making / serving them or if they conflict with my core values, no matter how much my customers want them. I change my business to suit my family’s needs, not the other way around.

I’m not afraid to sell out. I’ve allowed the carrying capacity of both my land and my heart to dictate the size of my business, not customer demand.

I refuse to be available to my customers 24/7. I don’t respond to every email within an hour or less. I am upfront about the fact that my family, not my business, are my priority.

NO is hard, but one of my guideposts in my Slow Life is the maxim :

Never let that which matters most  be at the mercy of that which matters least. 

4) I HAVE FAITH THAT BY LIVING MY VALUES, THE RIGHT PEOPLE WILL FIND ME

In marketing we talk a lot about attracting and repelling, about not trying to be everything to everyone, about finding your ideal “customer avatar” or that perfect target market.

My conventional marketing education taught me I needed to do a ton of research on that market and then mould my business, and myself, to meet it’s needs. We’re not even talking real people here. We’re talking some amorphous, imagined group and MY LIFE is supposed to be bent into the form I’ve told myself they expect.

This is completely ass-backwards if you ask me.

I serve the most amazing tribe of humans. Honestly.

They became my tribe not because I sought them out, but because I simply did the work I was called to do as authentically and honestly as possible.

​And if we’re being honest – I’m an odd duck. I am quirky and overly-passionate and earnest in a way that made me completely unsuitable for a “normal” career.

But my people? They get me. Cause they’re quirky and earnest, too.

It is scary to be yourself, to stand for something. But the stronger you can stand in your truth, the stronger your business will be.

You just have to have faith that by turning off or passing by what isn’t meant for you, you’ll make room in your life for all the joy and abundance that IS.

WHAT IS THE SLOW LIVING MOVEMENT AND HOW WILL IT HELP YOU FEEL CALM?

 Do you wish time would slow down? The slow living movement is the answer to curbing your stress and slowing the rush.

We live in a fast-paced world: fast food, high-speed internet, no wait time! Everywhere we turn, companies are promoting the idea that fast is good and slow is bad.

But we all get only one lifetime. It’s finite. Maybe we get 80 years (if we’re lucky). Some get more, and many others get less. With all this racing around, it’s easy to feel like our time is speeding by and we’re always in a hurry.

Here’s how the slow living movement will help you slow down. 

Time to Slow Down with Slow Living

Slow living has been around for the last few decades, but recently, the idea has become even more popular. It seems that as life gets faster, we like the idea of going a little slower.

When we feel rushed, we miss out on the precious little moments. We’re on our phone, looking up answers, and connecting with people, but we’re disconnected. 

Fast life is complicated and stressful. We may feel like we’re packing in more activity, but for most of us, we end up feeling frazzled and rushed.

Slowing down enables us to stop and smell the roses. We end up connecting more deeply with others. We’re more present, mindful, and deliberate. We find a greater sense of purpose when we slow down and take control of our time. 

When I decided to simplify my life, my schedule was one of the most significant areas of impact. I had to take control of my time. I was always busy, but I wasn’t achieving what I wanted to do.

Once I began to focus on living more slowly and intentionally, I started to feel time slow down. The moments I spent with myself were more meaningful. I didn’t feel rushed all the time. I started to appreciate my time .

If this sounds good to you, then join the slow living movement. Here’s what you need to know to slow down and bring more meaning and purpose to your life!

How to Embrace the Slow Living Movement

1. Be Mindful and Present

Slow living is mindful living. If you want to slow down time, you need to shift your mindset and focus on the present moment.

Being present isn’t easy. There are so many thoughts racing around in our heads. Many of us are worried about what happened at work. We’re thinking about what we need to do tomorrow, playing over a conversation with a friend that didn’t go well or wondering what we should wear to our meeting.

All these thoughts essentially become brain clutter. They add up to a lot of noise and take away from our focus. Unfortunately, there’s no “switch” we can flip to suddenly turn mindful. Mindfulness requires study and practice. 

Regular meditation helps us learn to bring our mind “online,” so we’re in the moment. Think of meditation like a session at the gym. When you exercise your body, the effects (more energy, increased metabolism, a fitter physique) are seen for hours, even days after. 

Similarly, meditation is exercising your mindful mind. When you practice, you will eventually see the effects all the time. You’ll be mentally in shape!

2. Connect with People

Slow living is all about connecting with those around us. How many of us would like to sit and visit with a friend, but think, I don’t have the time!?

If we slow down and prioritize our schedule, we will find time for our in-person relationships, conversations, and connections we need. 

People spend so much time on their digital relationships. Social media gives us all these superficial connections, but we lack the real moments that build a true friendship.

Instead of focusing on our screens, the slow living movement encourages people to spend time focused on their real-life connections.

3. Spend Time Outdoors

Nature helps us slow down. The ancient Japanese tradition of forest bathing is where people go into the woods and spend time with nature to meditate and reconnect with themselves. This practice has proven health benefits, including positive effects on participants’ mental health.

Even if you don’t forest bathe, you get many of the same positive effects by spending time outdoors. Sunshine gives us vitamin D. Gardening and digging in the dirt exposes us to beneficial bacteria to strengthen our immune system.

Time outdoors helps us to reconnect with the earth. We slow down, breathe in the fresh air, and notice the cycles and rhythms of nature.  

Following these rhythms helps us feel calm and present. 

4. Focus on Your Health

If we want more time and longer life, we need to prioritize our health. When we’re sick, tired, and unhealthy, our energy wanes, and our focus is weak.

On the other hand, when we feel well, we have stamina. We’re able to exercise for more extended periods. We’re not dragged down by tiredness and exhaustion.

I used to think self-care meant time spent in bed resting or sleeping. I’ve found, though, the more I slow down, the more energy I have. While it’s important to rest when your body needs a break, it’s surprising how much peppier and upbeat you feel when you’re living simply and slow.

It’s crucial to realize stress has a powerful effect on our body. Feeling rushed, busy, and overwhelmed leaves us drained. The rat race is exhausting.

The healthier you are, the better your quality of life. If you want to enjoy your life, it’s essential to take care of your body. After all, you only get one body. Care for it, appreciate it, and nurture it. 

5. Live with Less

Minimalism was profoundly life-changing for me. When I learned to live with less, everything in my life fell into place. I felt a greater sense of purpose. I was more mindful and it made me happier.

We’re often bogged down by clutter and stuff, rushing to the store to buy one more item, rushing to work to earn more money to buy more stuff. Our schedules are jam-packed with social obligations and commitments. We’re overwhelmed and stretched thin.

The more you simplify, the easier your life becomes. When you live with less, you feel free to spend less time fretting about money. You worry about the future less. You have what you need, and it becomes enough.

If you want to live slow, declutter. Organize your home. Empty your calendar. Minimalism allows you to live with more purpose and more intentionality.  

6. Eat Mindfully

The origins of the slow living movement were food-based. People came up with the “slow food movement” to counteract the fast food trend. The idea was to slow down and appreciate your meals, eating mindfully.

When we think about our meals, they become healthier. Preparing healthy dishes with unprocessed, whole ingredients takes time. Instead of choosing convenience, slow food requires you to select technique, flavor, and quality.

Not only are the results delicious, but mindful eating helps us return to the social aspects of dining. Instead of rushing to eat, we’re breaking bread with loved ones. We’re gathered around a table, engaging in a conversation, and enjoying dinner. 

7. Organize Your Schedule

If you want to take back your time and join the slow living movement, you must organize your schedule. Instead of rigidly organizing your agenda to fit even more into your day, consider ways to block off time for yourself. Think of your time as a resource; it’s essential to replenish your time before you give it to anyone else. 

Prioritize self-care and time to clear your mind. Organize your schedule so you can relax and fully immerse yourself in time with your kids, your spouse, or your friends. Instead of being haunted by tasks you “should” do, let yourself slow down and say no.

Many of us are accustomed to saying yes to any request that comes our way. It’s perfectly fine, and even healthy, to become stingy with our time. 

When you need to work, block out your time, and use productivity-boosting techniques to mindfully and efficiently complete a task. Let go of the idea that multitasking is more productive. Instead, focus on a singular task utilizing a method like Pomodoro or time blocking.

8. Turn Off Technology

Is technology eating up your time? When I decided to clean up my digital life, I went on a digital detox. Cleaning up my tech life meant taking a break from social media, turning off my notifications, and learning to put down my phone. At first, it was difficult, and I felt like I was missing out on so much.

But after taking a digital break for a while, I felt so much better. I was more mindful. My relationships were more important, and I wasn’t wasting time online.  

According to one study, American adults spend 8.5 hours online each day. In the UK, adults spend 8 hours online. Some countries had even higher screen time numbers, and the rest of the world isn’t far behind. Despite being globally connected, many of us feel disconnected.

Turn off your screen and you may discover more time than you previously realized.

9. Declutter

Clutter is chaos. When you live in a chaotic state, how much time do you spend looking for a receipt, searching for a pair of shoes, or wondering where you put a pair of scissors? We’ve all been there. 

Clutter wastes our valuable time. It feels busy because clutter is often stimulating. We’re distracted by all that’s going on. We may even find comfort in clutter because we feel like we’re storing items on hand, should we ever need them.

10. Embrace Quiet

The slow living movement is all about being calm, peaceful, and quiet. Now, this isn’t to say you shouldn’t enjoy a concert or sing along to your favorite song on the radio. 

But when was the last time you went for a jog or walk without headphones? When was the last time you drove to work without playing a podcast? When did you last work in silence?

Again, noise and chaos keep us distracted. Commotion helps us feel like we’re being busy (and therefore getting more accomplished). When there’s noise around us, it’s exciting, and we’re stimulated.  

Quiet, on the other hand, allows us to focus on our thoughts. While this is often uncomfortable at first, eventually, it leads to more mindfulness and clarity.

11. Focus on One Task at a Time

Multitasking feels productive. When we’ve got many irons in the fire, we feel busy. We may even feel good about all we’re “handling.”

Handling multiple tasks at once often means we’re only dedicating part of our mind and focus to the job in front of us. We’re not entirely engaged, and therefore, we make mistakes, tasks take longer than anticipated, and we’re not as productive as we feel.

Studies show multitasking isn’t as good as it’s cracked up to be. Instead, focusing on one task that we do deliberately and mindfully allows us to engage fully. We’re able to get in the right mindset, and ultimately, we’re able to achieve more.

12. Set Simple Habits

Slowing down means setting positive habits. Drinking more water, washing your face before bed, making your bed in the morning, setting up for tomorrow…these all become routine actions to help us slow down.

We spend a great deal of time thinking about what we need to do next. We may worry about what to wear tomorrow, what we should deal with, or the state of our finances. When we set up simple habits, like laying out our clothes the night before or checking our bank account a few times a week, we no longer need to worry about decisions. 

Slow living means adopting timesaving routines, not to get more done, but to free up more time for the activities that matter to you. 

With more free time, you will enjoy your loved ones, engage in self-care activities to bring you a sense of peace and nourishment, or reconnect with your spouse and children. 

In the end, we all get 24 hours in a day. We can’t do anything about the quantity of time we have, but the slow living movement helps us increase our quality of life. 

SLOW LIVING TIPS

 Many of us long to slow down.

And many of us desperately need to.

But too many slow living tips involve ditching everything at once for a picture-perfect slow living lifestyle.

The harsh reality of struggling finances mean that slow living idyll isn’t on offer for most families so it becomes another fantasy to fail at!!

Yet there are simple small ways to slow the crazily busy treadmill of our modern world and find more joy.

And these are the very doable slow living tips I have for you here.

They truly have brought real riches in health, happiness and resilience to my family. I do hope they help.

HOW TO START A SLOW LIVING LIFESTYLE SIMPLY

My slow living tips are NOT a strict set of rules we all must live by.

Most are tiny tweaks to strengthen our daily life whilst creating chances for us either to press pause for a period or to take the first steps on a longer journey in slower lanes.

There is no single place to start so explore first what speaks to you :

Let Go

Gentle Rhythms

Proper Rest

Unbusy

Local Living

Embracing Nature

Being In The Moment

Loving Low Info

Celebrating Seasons

Weaving just a few of these slow living tips into the fabric of our day lets us feel for real that we don’t have to hurtle hectically through our time here holding on for dear life!!

There are different slower ways to live and they can be very good.

LET GO

Letting go little by little releases the chains of anxiety that lock us onto the treadmill of busy-busy :

Very gently declutter just a few things every single day.

Ditch … don’t delegate.

Stop reinventing the wheel for the sake of it when same old does fine.

Enjoy the familiar.

Detox from stimulants … coffee, sugar, alcohol & screens … for at least 6 weeks every year.

Start living debt free so you stop having to run so fast to fund a lifestyle you can’t sustain …

Stop buying things you never use.

REST PROPERLY

Resting properly truly can transform our family’s health. It is the foundation of a slow lifestyle :

Cherish sleep …

Learn to sleep better …

… and stop sabotaging it.

Have a day of rest weekly …

… and when you just need one.

Put aside time to energies yourself in the right way for you … introverts need time alone, extraverts need time to talk … every day.

If you’re an introvert and get exhausted by other people, don’t try and live your life by the standards of extroverts.

Give yourself time to recover …

… from illness …

… from grief …

… from heartache …

Take care of your circadian rhythm, get up & outside in the light early.

UNBUSY

In today’s world we worship the constant buzz of busy-busy as a symbol of both success and virtue but too many of our exhausted efforts are empty of real meaning :

Build slack into every day.

Stop making a virtue of having no time available for anyone.

Stop over scheduling kids …

… enjoy slower happier parenting.

Learn to do more in less time and savour the time saved, don’t fill it.

Keep plenty of weekends free.

Clear your calendar … by half … and then by half again

.Write a not doing list, so you consciously acknowledge all the things whirring around in your head that you’re not going to do.

Learn to say no.

Time block communication and only answer emails and messages in that time block.

Travel slowly by train.

Learning to enjoy being unbusy breaks our addiction to the adrenalin of always being on the go.

GENTLE HABITS & RHYTHMS

Gentle habits & rhythms give us back some ownership of the structure of our lives so we’re not always reacting to incoming demands :

Build simple daily habits.

Build weekly rhythms.

Keep going back to the same place.

Play old games or do old jigsaws with phones off.

Re-read books.

Learn to done one thing better and better with your hands.

Practice something pleasurable for five minutes every day.

Help children learn to contribute to family chores.

LIVE LOCAL

Living more of life locally cuts the wasted hours and constant pressure of long, tight travel time tables :

Love local.

Walk every day wherever you can and use the downtime …

… to talk

… to connect with your community

… to muse & ponder.

Give up your car.

Stroll, saunter, wander …

… take time to stop and stare.

Ride a bike.

Holiday at home.

It roots us in the resilience of a strong community and makes travel more exciting when we do go.

EMBRACE NATURE

By embracing nature in simple ways we can’t help but slow down and feel how it keeps time without the constant call of clock and calendar:

Notice nature …

… see which way the wind is blowing every day …

… look at the stars …

… spot what the trees are doing.

Grow a few things but don’t go crazy just start …

… a few simple vegetables …

… some basic herbs …

… a pot of spring bulbs.

Go hiking.

BE IN THE MOMENT

A slower lifestyle allows us to be in the moment and enjoy the richness of daily life free from the nagging anxiety of diaries and to do lists :

Notice yourself in the full flow of feeling happy … what are you doing? … do more of it?

Make time to clean …

Make time to cook simple healthy recipes you know off by heart …

… be in the moment …

… and enjoy what you’re doing.

Get real exercise from physical work – travelling, cleaning, gardening – rather than constantly trying to squeeze in time for artificial exercise.

Keep an eye on why you’re doing things … very often it’s not because they’re important or actually make us happy.

LOW INFO

Our chronic fear of missing out has left us addicted to news and updates that distract us from the personal practices and rhythms that truly support and sustain our lives :

Switch off phone notifications.

Go out without your phone.

Go on a wifi & phone free retreat every year.

Go on a low information diet.

Break your cable news addiction … whatever our politics, it is equally bad for us!!

Deinstall any apps you’re addicted to on your phone.

Stick to one messaging app only.

Switch your phone off when you’re with your kids.

Unsubscribe from a couple of email lists every day.

CELEBRATE SEASONS

Marking the seasons of the year provides a profound pattern to the seasons of our lives that over commercial celebrations never reach:

Follow the seasons …

… join the harvest

… sleep more in winter.

Organise your calendar around simple traditions …

… and enjoy the calm of the old and familiar.

Recognise the times in the year you take on too much e.g. Christmas, holidays, new school year and work out what else you will stop doing to build in slack.

Find time every week to connect with the past.

My very last slow living tip is to be a little more sceptical of progress.

A forever chase after the future leaves us rootless and lost. A simpler slower lifestyle builds a stronger bridge to both the opportunities and the challenges of unknown times ahead.