I feel like the older I have got, the more I value time. Certainly, since the start of the pandemic, time just feels to be going quicker and quicker.

When I feel like I’m wasting my time on useless activities, doing meaningless things, or when I’m spending time with negative people, I get frustrated.

When it comes to time, I agree with what Darwin once said:

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”

However, something I found is that having this obsession with time can put unnecessary pressure on yourself.

I sometimes look at people’s diaries at work and see them full to the brim. Even their lunch time is scheduled for ‘going for a run’, rather than using their lunch time to just ‘eat lunch’.

I feel like people have this urgency to use every single minute of life. Things have to happen: Quick, quick, now, now. You have to keep moving forward like a freight train that stops for nothing.

However, despite all this rushing around, we don’t seem to be accomplishing anything extra. Instead, we end up performing or exposing ourselves to tasks we pay less attention to.

All of this busyness has overloaded our minds. We always feel a sense that there is something to do. For example, even if I go for a walk, I feel like I need to a listen to a podcast so I can get some more value from the time I spend walking. I mean, what happened to just going for a walk?

There’s just no end point. No time for rest. And it’s eating away at us from the inside. It almost feels impossible to find a reason to smile, or be joyful, or just be.

Something that I have learned (and am continually learning) is that life doesn’t need to be so crazy. Just because I am in my 20s and the business gurus on Instagram say I need to grind 24/7 to be successful doesn’t mean it’s the truth, certainly for you and I.

In fact, I think a large part of success (whatever that means to you) is slowing down.

Why do we Feel Like We Need to Slow Down?

• We think taking a nap is a sign of laziness.
• We check social media, emails constantly throughout the day
• We order takeaway or eat processed microwave foods to save time over lunch and dinner
• We lose sleep over an upcoming deadline
• We get frustrated over the small things, like a website taking too long to load!

If you’re tired of the grind, let me suggest you step back and take an honest assessment of what needs to be done. Letting go of the compulsion to do all things can be an awesomely liberating high. Simply choose what’s most important, and do that. Even simpler, choose to do the things you are passionate about, and drop the rest.

How you can Slow Down and Enjoy a Happier Life

Reduce you To-Do List

For so long, I was using these massive to-do lists. I thought the more goals I set myself, the more I would achieve. Boy, was I wrong. In the end, I just ended up overwhelming myself and achieving next to nothing.

Keep your to-do lists simple. Personally, I only set myself 1-3 Key things to achieve each day. This stops me procrastinating over starting and is actually a list that I can achieve each day. What’s more, is that keeping the list this size will force you to decide what’s really important.

Learn to Say ‘No’

Stop taking on more responsibility. If someone asks you to do something, and you know you don’t have time for it, just politely say no. Of course, being a team player and helping out is great. But you have to draw a line when it starts to take away your own joy.

Embrace Being Unproductive

When you have lunch, actually spend time making a lunch you want and when you eat, just switch off. Don’t keep looking at your phone or emails thinking you are going to miss something. When you go for a walk, instead of listening to a podcast, listen to the sound of your surroundings and just take everything in. Play that video game. Go out with your friends. Life is too short.

Of course, with everything, a balance is needed. It’s not really healthy to be playing video games all day. However, blocking time out each week for performing your favourite activities will end up helping you out mentally in the long term.

Embrace Quality over Quantity

Instead of joining every organization, subscribing to every blog, or taking every opportunity you get – try doing fewer things, but choosing the ones that really add value to your life. Pick 3 or 4 blogs and follow them closely. Choose one organisation making a difference, and support them. Embracing quality over quantity will make your life less stressful and your experiences more satisfying.