Absolutely love this. Creating space within a life otherwise enmeshed in the hustle culture is my project right now. Working out how to identify the doing that really matters versus the doing that is just for show. Figuring out how to live slowly, i.e. intentionally, without having to become a recluse.
What a powerful project. Creating space is really what it's about. It isn't easy but it IS possible.
Some great books that helped me do that include Enough - Breaking Free from the World of More by John Naish, In Praise of Slow by Carl Honoré, Essentialism - The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown and almost anything by Cal Newport.
I have to say that I haven’t felt “boredom” since I retired because of all the “play”, and I can honestly say that the only times in my adult life that I have, has been at work at my old jobs.
I’m using my meager retirement income to start a new life of creativity, like an Artist-In-Residence. So, I am still “working”
Quality is my goal.
It’s rare to find wisdom these days. This Post is full of it. Thanks.
P.S. I believe we are neighbors as I live in Whatcom County, USA.
Yes, we sure are neighbours - I'm only about 30 minutes due north of Lynden, WA.
I must agree with you - I can't remember the last time I was bored since moving to the farm and becoming a Mum. These days 'boredom' has been recast and blessed moments of quiet in a busy household. Nothing boring about a few minutes spent sitting in the winter sun with a warm cuppa. That's lovely that you're enjoying your retirement. Thanks for the kind words. - S
I've surprised myself by how much I needed to read this right now. Thank you, whatever algorithm pointed it my way. Intellectually I understand the benefits of living slowly, deeply, intentionally, but putting it into practice is quite the other thing. We recently emigrated, had a new baby, started a new job, and as a result I'm overwhelmed and seeking medical help for my stress and anxiety. I know there's a better way, but getting there seems difficult at times. Thanks for the reminder.
Quite profound. So many of us "slow movers" are also sensitive souls simply overwhelmed by the demands of the material realm, "achieve, do more, crush the competition, go go and go." I cannot do any of those things. I take one small step at at time and cling to God and His Son. Slow does get there, think of the great Aesop's Fable of the Hare and the Tortoise, I am a Tortoise, with very short hops of Hare, after which I need a nap!
I think the most powerful lesson of the slow movement is the importance of *le tempo giusto* - the proper pace. It means finding the proper pace for you, for your life and the season you find yourself in. Some seasons that means head down and work, others it means lying in the shade of the cool grass with my kid watching clouds. It recognizes that both are essential for a full and purposeful life.
I love this, Stacey. The less I have on my mind, the more creative ideas evolve. It is so important that we give ourselves the time and space to be lost. I think we underestimate how things like sleep, doing nothing, or, in your case, going for a swim, which may be labelled as unproductive in our society, can be productive and amazing for our creativity. Our brains become increasingly disengaged as we fill every minute of our day with stimulation. A while back, I wrote a good post on Creativity and all things Boredom. If you get time, please have a read 🥰 I love the work you are doing. Take care!
You're absolutely right. And especially as artists, it is so important to actually get out there and life your life. You can't make thoughtful, meaningful work if you live in a self-reflexive vacuum of nothing *but* work. Thanks for sharing!
Love this post. Gardening this summer was also a HELL NO for me. As much as I enjoy tending to our veggies, having fresh food for our family, and the mental health benefits that come from being outside, I knew it was better for me to not spend my time there this year. There's always next!
Me too. I just didn’t have the bandwidth to plan a garden. If someone could have chosen the plants and told me where to put them...that would have worked. Slow living doesn’t necessarily mean having a homestead , homeschooling or living in a van. Slow can mean intentional living in many different ways. ❤️
Good advice, I tend to try to cram in as much work into a day, especially where writing is concerned. Slow writing often leaves me more satisfied than rapid-fire writing.
I often think about all the great artists who used walking as part of their process. Sometimes time away from writing to 'do nothing' is the best way to write.
I only knew that Tolkien & Howard did it, along with Virgil and Beethoven but didn't know it was such a common practice. Tbh, I write novels and I spend at least an hour or two on slow hikes or walks away from home, otherwise I lose my sanity.
Oh, yes. Many writers and painters throughout history have used walking as part of their creative process. The Flâneurs of Paris, there's a book out on women who walked, Flâneuse. Sounds like you're in great company.
As always -thought provoking, relatable and a fantastic read! Thank you for sharing Stacey! I feel much more productive since I’ve slowed down and been more mindful with my energy in my corporate job vs mindlessly hustling and being stressed the whole time.
Thanks Carmen. That's lovely that you're able to find ways to integrate slowness into your day job. Maybe that's something we can chat about for a piece sometime - I think there is a lot of folks who feel like slowness can't function for them because they can't quit their jobs and move to the countryside.
Hi Stacey, would absolutely love to collab on a piece on this topic. My breaking point was selling a well-being app to corporates, funnily enough my well-being was at a very low point due to the startup hustle culture and myself not slowing down.
So much has changed in the past 2 years, relearning what I had already known from early age - a slower life. And that didn’t mean moving back to the countryside, as you said it’s not what makes or breaks a slower life ;)
I voicenoted myself some ideas for an upcoming piece just last week so it seems to be divine timing. Not sure if I’ll have the capacity to type these thoughts up as an initial draft this upcoming weekend but would love to chat further. I’m sure I’ll be able to track down your email on your website :) carmen.boeckeler@gmail.com x
That makes me feel better! The no to the garden was a first in 20 years. I also teach holistic gardening so for my farm customers to come and see my hot mess of an untended (massive) garden patch has been tough. I keep reminding myself that the weedy garden is evidence of keeping a promise to myself. I choose to focus on other - important, worthy - goals during this season. Saying NO temporarily to something I love was necessary in order to say YES to a bigger dream.
Also - daily swims are better than any therapy ever - and I LOVE my therapist! xox
Thanks for giving me something to really think about. I tend to keep ‘busy’ but want to approach individual tasks with more intention vs. just “touching” several to tell myself that I’ve been productive.
I’ve just discovered your writing and your work. Thank you. I’m looking forward to following you Stacey. While reading I thought of a favorite stanza in a poem by Wendell Berry, “The Crest” in section 3 of that poem. I wondered if you might like it. Thank you again.
Ah - I love Berry. As a regenerative farmer and a writer - his work has always helped me make sense of my two worlds. His sense of humility and wonder and rootedness have influenced my work both on the farm and on the page deeply.
The idea that “slowness” is defined as doing, living in an intentionally “less busy” way is itself contrived. Nature does not occur due to a deliberate, willful way of existence. No, things happen as a result of natural law. A bird flies because she is a bird. A dog barks because he is a dog. A tree grows because it is a tree. There is no intention involved. For humans, most live outside of natural law. This is contrived deliberately and presents false beliefs from which the notions of “slow living” or “hustle” offer very intentional and destructive results for all. If we as humans chose to live according to Natural Law, some situations would demand immediate action (like a fish swimming away from a predator) and other things would simply occur when the time is right, which could take 10,000 years. Perhaps the idea of “slow living” could be recast as simply letting things happen when they happen and not have an element of deliberate manipulation.
“We value movement over action when we buy into things like the myth of multitasking.”
This is HUGE! I recently journaled on a light bulb moment I had about the beauty of single tasking, which came to me whilst playing with my friends daughter. I played... and did nothing else because she demanded all my attention. I had no option but to sit and play with her.
If only we could focus on all our ‘work’ (whatever this might be) and tasks so deeply and intentionally, one at a time, that we find beauty and reverence in them.
I also love that the ‘slow’ movement doesn’t necessarily mean doing things slowly; the magic is in the singularity and intentionality behind what we do. (This is something I’m very much still learning!)
What was even more interesting is that I struggle with this aspect so much with my own daughter, yet noticing this with someone else’s child was so obvious? Lots to delve into here but I appreciate the opportunity you offer here for the delving 🤍
I think that’s pretty natural. With our own kids we have so many other things to juggle- it was easier to have those moments with other kids than my own for me too.
Exodus 34:21 Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest, even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.
Moses, 1450-1410 BC
Absolutely love this. Creating space within a life otherwise enmeshed in the hustle culture is my project right now. Working out how to identify the doing that really matters versus the doing that is just for show. Figuring out how to live slowly, i.e. intentionally, without having to become a recluse.
What a powerful project. Creating space is really what it's about. It isn't easy but it IS possible.
Some great books that helped me do that include Enough - Breaking Free from the World of More by John Naish, In Praise of Slow by Carl Honoré, Essentialism - The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown and almost anything by Cal Newport.
I have to say that I haven’t felt “boredom” since I retired because of all the “play”, and I can honestly say that the only times in my adult life that I have, has been at work at my old jobs.
I’m using my meager retirement income to start a new life of creativity, like an Artist-In-Residence. So, I am still “working”
Quality is my goal.
It’s rare to find wisdom these days. This Post is full of it. Thanks.
P.S. I believe we are neighbors as I live in Whatcom County, USA.
Yes, we sure are neighbours - I'm only about 30 minutes due north of Lynden, WA.
I must agree with you - I can't remember the last time I was bored since moving to the farm and becoming a Mum. These days 'boredom' has been recast and blessed moments of quiet in a busy household. Nothing boring about a few minutes spent sitting in the winter sun with a warm cuppa. That's lovely that you're enjoying your retirement. Thanks for the kind words. - S
I forgot to add I’m 15 miles due West of Lynden in Birch Bay.
I've surprised myself by how much I needed to read this right now. Thank you, whatever algorithm pointed it my way. Intellectually I understand the benefits of living slowly, deeply, intentionally, but putting it into practice is quite the other thing. We recently emigrated, had a new baby, started a new job, and as a result I'm overwhelmed and seeking medical help for my stress and anxiety. I know there's a better way, but getting there seems difficult at times. Thanks for the reminder.
Quite profound. So many of us "slow movers" are also sensitive souls simply overwhelmed by the demands of the material realm, "achieve, do more, crush the competition, go go and go." I cannot do any of those things. I take one small step at at time and cling to God and His Son. Slow does get there, think of the great Aesop's Fable of the Hare and the Tortoise, I am a Tortoise, with very short hops of Hare, after which I need a nap!
I think the most powerful lesson of the slow movement is the importance of *le tempo giusto* - the proper pace. It means finding the proper pace for you, for your life and the season you find yourself in. Some seasons that means head down and work, others it means lying in the shade of the cool grass with my kid watching clouds. It recognizes that both are essential for a full and purposeful life.
Thank you, Stacey, I agree! Balance with all. Blessings to you and yours, Wendy
I love this, Stacey. The less I have on my mind, the more creative ideas evolve. It is so important that we give ourselves the time and space to be lost. I think we underestimate how things like sleep, doing nothing, or, in your case, going for a swim, which may be labelled as unproductive in our society, can be productive and amazing for our creativity. Our brains become increasingly disengaged as we fill every minute of our day with stimulation. A while back, I wrote a good post on Creativity and all things Boredom. If you get time, please have a read 🥰 I love the work you are doing. Take care!
You're absolutely right. And especially as artists, it is so important to actually get out there and life your life. You can't make thoughtful, meaningful work if you live in a self-reflexive vacuum of nothing *but* work. Thanks for sharing!
The living in-between is where the real life happens! Quietly getting there is a work in progress! Thanks for this post , thoroughly appreciated.
You are so right.
Love this post. Gardening this summer was also a HELL NO for me. As much as I enjoy tending to our veggies, having fresh food for our family, and the mental health benefits that come from being outside, I knew it was better for me to not spend my time there this year. There's always next!
Me too. I just didn’t have the bandwidth to plan a garden. If someone could have chosen the plants and told me where to put them...that would have worked. Slow living doesn’t necessarily mean having a homestead , homeschooling or living in a van. Slow can mean intentional living in many different ways. ❤️
Good advice, I tend to try to cram in as much work into a day, especially where writing is concerned. Slow writing often leaves me more satisfied than rapid-fire writing.
I often think about all the great artists who used walking as part of their process. Sometimes time away from writing to 'do nothing' is the best way to write.
I only knew that Tolkien & Howard did it, along with Virgil and Beethoven but didn't know it was such a common practice. Tbh, I write novels and I spend at least an hour or two on slow hikes or walks away from home, otherwise I lose my sanity.
Oh, yes. Many writers and painters throughout history have used walking as part of their creative process. The Flâneurs of Paris, there's a book out on women who walked, Flâneuse. Sounds like you're in great company.
And I'm French hahahahaha, so go figure. Yeah in great company indeed, I especially love being at sea or hiking in the mountains.
As always -thought provoking, relatable and a fantastic read! Thank you for sharing Stacey! I feel much more productive since I’ve slowed down and been more mindful with my energy in my corporate job vs mindlessly hustling and being stressed the whole time.
Thanks Carmen. That's lovely that you're able to find ways to integrate slowness into your day job. Maybe that's something we can chat about for a piece sometime - I think there is a lot of folks who feel like slowness can't function for them because they can't quit their jobs and move to the countryside.
Hi Stacey, would absolutely love to collab on a piece on this topic. My breaking point was selling a well-being app to corporates, funnily enough my well-being was at a very low point due to the startup hustle culture and myself not slowing down.
So much has changed in the past 2 years, relearning what I had already known from early age - a slower life. And that didn’t mean moving back to the countryside, as you said it’s not what makes or breaks a slower life ;)
I voicenoted myself some ideas for an upcoming piece just last week so it seems to be divine timing. Not sure if I’ll have the capacity to type these thoughts up as an initial draft this upcoming weekend but would love to chat further. I’m sure I’ll be able to track down your email on your website :) carmen.boeckeler@gmail.com x
I think it’s the mindset that you bring to an activity. I love the idea of using more mindfulness into my day.
Mmm resonating with the daily swimming and saying no to the garden (for right now). Thank you 🙏🏽
That makes me feel better! The no to the garden was a first in 20 years. I also teach holistic gardening so for my farm customers to come and see my hot mess of an untended (massive) garden patch has been tough. I keep reminding myself that the weedy garden is evidence of keeping a promise to myself. I choose to focus on other - important, worthy - goals during this season. Saying NO temporarily to something I love was necessary in order to say YES to a bigger dream.
Also - daily swims are better than any therapy ever - and I LOVE my therapist! xox
Thanks for giving me something to really think about. I tend to keep ‘busy’ but want to approach individual tasks with more intention vs. just “touching” several to tell myself that I’ve been productive.
Glad it found you.
I’ve just discovered your writing and your work. Thank you. I’m looking forward to following you Stacey. While reading I thought of a favorite stanza in a poem by Wendell Berry, “The Crest” in section 3 of that poem. I wondered if you might like it. Thank you again.
Ah - I love Berry. As a regenerative farmer and a writer - his work has always helped me make sense of my two worlds. His sense of humility and wonder and rootedness have influenced my work both on the farm and on the page deeply.
Thanks for being here.
s
The idea that “slowness” is defined as doing, living in an intentionally “less busy” way is itself contrived. Nature does not occur due to a deliberate, willful way of existence. No, things happen as a result of natural law. A bird flies because she is a bird. A dog barks because he is a dog. A tree grows because it is a tree. There is no intention involved. For humans, most live outside of natural law. This is contrived deliberately and presents false beliefs from which the notions of “slow living” or “hustle” offer very intentional and destructive results for all. If we as humans chose to live according to Natural Law, some situations would demand immediate action (like a fish swimming away from a predator) and other things would simply occur when the time is right, which could take 10,000 years. Perhaps the idea of “slow living” could be recast as simply letting things happen when they happen and not have an element of deliberate manipulation.
“We value movement over action when we buy into things like the myth of multitasking.”
This is HUGE! I recently journaled on a light bulb moment I had about the beauty of single tasking, which came to me whilst playing with my friends daughter. I played... and did nothing else because she demanded all my attention. I had no option but to sit and play with her.
If only we could focus on all our ‘work’ (whatever this might be) and tasks so deeply and intentionally, one at a time, that we find beauty and reverence in them.
I also love that the ‘slow’ movement doesn’t necessarily mean doing things slowly; the magic is in the singularity and intentionality behind what we do. (This is something I’m very much still learning!)
Such a powerful post, thank you 🤍
Kids can be beautiful, merciless teachers of mindfulness, can't they? Hehe.
It's not easy to do - and probably isn't either practical or desirable to be 100% deep work all the time, but it's a worthy goal to strive towards.
Oh they can! Such wise little beings!
What was even more interesting is that I struggle with this aspect so much with my own daughter, yet noticing this with someone else’s child was so obvious? Lots to delve into here but I appreciate the opportunity you offer here for the delving 🤍
I think that’s pretty natural. With our own kids we have so many other things to juggle- it was easier to have those moments with other kids than my own for me too.
That’s so reassuring to know, thank you for sharing that x
Cal Newport is excellent on this topic of slow productivity (see YouTube). He also has a book coming out in March with this very title.
YES. I've read all his books - didn't know there was a new one on the way though - exciting!
I really appreciate what you're doing. Keep up the great work and have a happy Thanksgiving!