How To Slow Down Your Life – 5 Tips For A Happy Life
You may be reading this blog and think: yes, I want to slow down my life but how? There are so many commitments. The To-Do list does not seem to get any shorter. You may even have noticed that you start things but don’t finish them. As I often get asked how I do it I wanted to share some steps you can take. Read on to find out how to slow down your life.
How To Slow Down Your Life
I cannot give you a definite answer to your question on how to slow down your life but I can help you and give you some ideas that worked for me. Try them. You may find that all of them or a few will work for you too. And if you find something else that works for you, amazing! The important part is to take the first step and make small changes to your life.
Write A Priority List
To slow down your life you need to find out what is really important to you and focus on these. Our everyday life has become so busy because we are doing a lot of things that you may not want to do or that have become a habit but are not really good for you.
First, write down all the things you usually do every day and then make a list of the things you would like to do or the goals you want to achieve. Find out which of your regular habits are necessary and which you may be able to delegate or even drop.
For your goals, it is important that you work out how you can break them down in smaller projects that are easily achievable. Don’t try to achieve everything. Set yourself realistic targets. It is always easier to achieve something if you do it in smaller steps.
This way hopefully you will find you have more time during your day to take time for yourself.
Write A Daily To-Do List
This really helps me clearing my head and just to focus on the things I want to achieve each day. You may be like me and prefer the traditional way of pen and paper or you may prefer a digital tool. Maybe the calendar or an app on your phone helps you stay on track of your To-Do list. I like tackeling the most important or more time-intensive tasks first. This way I can enjoy more breaks throughout the day and don’t feel like that big important task is still to do.
If you can only include one or two bigger tasks per day. You don’t want to rush from one thing to another but keep yourself on track. It is easier if you break out bigger asks across different days
Once I have done a particular task I make strike it off my list. At the end of the day, I can clearly see what I achieved. Maybe there are still one or two smaller tasks that I have not achieved and that is ok. Add them to the list for the next day and ensure you can cross them off early on in the day.
Make Time For Breaks
It is important that you take time for breaks during the day. Don’t rush from one task to another, or from one appointment to the next. Make sure to slot in extra time to enjoy the walk to your appointment and walk through a park and enjoy watching the birds. Maybe you prefer having a coffee. Instead of getting a takeaway coffee, why not sit down and get the coffee in a cup. Maybe read a book or just relax and watch people passing by?
Sometimes just sitting down for a while, in a park or at home, and not do anything for a while can really help you get more energy for the rest of the day. It definitely helped me on my journey.
Find A New Hobby
Maybe you always dreamt about growing your own vegetables and cooking healthy meals. I know I have. I also always wanted chicken so I can have fresh eggs for my baking experiments. But I am transitioning to be vegan now so may have to find something else.
If gardening isn’t for you, maybe you want to try meditation or another hobby. There are many options, you just need to find the one right for you. Maybe you are creative and want to start painting or writing. Find something that is meaningful to you and helps you focus and relax.
For me, cooking from scratch has helped a lot. I’m baking my own sourdough bread, started to make my own vegan butter, snacks and spreads. Yes, I am spending more time in the kitchen but I know what I eat and have cut down in shopping trips as I get a lot of the items I need in bulk.
I also cycle instead of taking the car. I like to enjoy the cycle ride and not go to far. Cycling through parks I somethinges get off and walk for a bit and watch the birds or squirrals. If you don’t have a park find some quieter roads to cycle. Cycling has definitely heped me slowing down my pace of life more naturally. Yes, I may fit less things in my day but I can really focus on what I am doing and take breaks and enjoy what I am seeing or where I am.
The Right Mindset
You can do it but it certainly takes willpower and being focused. You may have to learn to say no if someone drops an unexpected task on you. You don’t have to decline everything but find out what is important to your and your loved ones and focus on these things more. That will be your guide on how to slow down your life in a natural way.
A good way to start is to find someone you can support you, a friend, a mentor or maybe you find people to talk to online in groups or forums. Speak to someone you trust and find out how to slow down your life to a more sustainable pace. You can certainly also comment here in my blog and I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have!
How To Slow Down Your Life
It may seem difficult in the beginning but once you are on your journey to slow down your life you will become better in judging what is important to you and what is not. You will find out what works for you and what does not. Commit yourself to the idea and you will notice that it becomes easier to say no and that you will find more time in your day to do the things you really want to do. Good luck!