The Kitchen Sink Series from Slow Folk is a raw and imperfect podcast for rabble-rousers, dawdlers, late-bloomers and taboo-breakers, thirsty for a slower life in a world obsessed with speed.
Unscripted and unedited - straight from my kitchen sink.
The most powerful part of embracing Slow Living is learning to ask more beautiful questions.
Questions rooted in our values, in curiosity, in love - rather than judgement or shame.
To ask them without expectation, but simply knowing that in asking them, in examining our lives through the lense of slowness with compassion and curiosity, we will tap into the wisdom that lies deep in our bellies.
The wisdom most of us can’t hear because our lives are overrun with noise, busyness, other’s expectations and simply too much, too fast.
Slowness has taught me, above all, to value my attention.
Our attention is our most valuable resource. Where goes our attention, so goes our life.
And yet, for most of us, our precious, finite attention has been hijacked by mercenaries who wage a two pronged assault; robbing us of our attention while simultaneously convincing us it has no value.
Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew all either strictly limited or completely barred their own children from using their tech.
Doesn’t that tell us something powerful about the nature of the beast?
The trouble is, we’ve been conditioned to believe that any benefit (no matter how small) is enough to warrant the attack on our vulnerable, precious attention.
If a tool or new shiny social media platform offers SOME benefit, no matter how flimsy, we justify it taking up space in our lives with little scrutiny.
We never ask ourselves -
What is the cost of allowing this thing (be that social media, doom scrolling, the firehose of bad news that is mainstream media, new ‘productivity’ tools or even our book club or new relationships - whatever) into my orbit?
We often don’t even recognize that there IS a cost. ( There is ALWAYS a cost. )
The more beautiful question is : Does this offer enough of a benefit to make it worth the cost?
Notice I said - enough.
Enough is always the true measure. ‘Some’ is not enough. We need to assess our Return on Attention with the same rigor we measure Return on Investment.
There is no right or wrong answers here.
YOU get to decide how much your attention is worth and whether or not the benefits outweigh the costs.
The measurement of Return on Attention has been core to my building a business rooted in Slow Values.
How I’ve answered the question has allowed me to build something I’m proud of, while also being a present mother for my kids and making time to mother myself.
It’s allowed me to grow (slowly, of course) to the low six-figures. To build a loyal community of customers with whom I have a genuine relationship, not just a transactional one.
It’s given me the confidence to say NO to being always on and always available, chained to my email or social media.
In fact, it allowed me to - for all intents and purposes - QUIT social media altogether for my primary business.
Measuring Return on Attention has helped me hone my eye towards leveraged activities.
I’ve learned how to eliminate the non-essential and then use my attention as efficiently as possible for those things that amplify it by their very nature.
There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.
- Peter Drucker
There is no point in using our valuable attention to optimize things that aren’t worth our time to begin with.
Knowing our worth, valuing our own attention, makes it a lot easier to identify the non-essential tasks that fill our day and sap our attention. For me, that means not wasting time shouting into the void of social media.
Every business guru tells me I ‘must’, but because I know my ROA, I can say No, thanks with confidence.
It also provides encouragement to learn tools that will leverage our attention. For me, that looks like Pinterest combined with Tailwind partnered with a consistent email strategy.
Neither are complicated, they don’t take long to do, I enjoy the work and they both have durability, longevity, impact, conversion, connection and reach.
They offer excellent Return on Attention.
Measuring my ROA has also allowed me to say YES to so many beautiful things, guilt free.
It’s allowed me to prioritize so many things that bring me joy, fill up my cup and contribute to an overall sense of wellbeing, connectedness and community.
Return on Attention has empowered a YES to my daily outdoor swims at dawn at the community centre, to taking time to chat with the lovely old gals in the hot tub. To a daily sauna. To a book every night before bed. To time with my kids. To home cooked meals. To my garden. To seasons of purposeful grit and effort as I work towards worthy goals.
Our attention is finite and fleeting. Shouldn’t we be spending it on things that matter?
Stacey Langford is a writer, renegade farmer and slow business mentor living and working in Canada’s Fraser Valley. In 2010 Stacey ditched her cubicle in the city to turn her attention homeward, farm and help others craft a simple life, from scratch.
Are you ready to build a life - and a living - you actually love?
I help rebellious solopreneurs and creatives build businesses rooted in Slow Values. If you’re ready to step into your own Slow Life and finally claim your calling, let’s chat!
