Our time is our life and our attention is the doorway to our hearts. Dive into this beautiful book about faith, minimalism and slowing down.
Slow down! The three takeaways
- Every day, you must make time for the kind of silence and solitude that brings peace.
- Taking a day off each week for rest isn’t such a bad idea; it can boost your productivity and happiness significantly.
- Take pleasure in slowing down your life by allowing moments of inefficiency to help you become more mindful.
Silence and solitude in the age of constant diversions and distractions
When we live in a world where we are constantly barraged by notifications on our devices, it can be challenging to find silence and solitude.
We are not alone in our thoughts, even when we are by ourselves with our phones. We are exposed to a deluge of ideas and viewpoints thanks to social media. Before, there would be no constant source of amusement while people waited. There isn’t much time left for introspection these days.
Asking for more time is flawed
More time is not the answer to a life that is too busy to take things more slowly and focus on what really matters in life. We are limited in what we can accomplish. We simply cannot experience, be, read, watch, taste, drink, do, or do everything. Not a choice. Like our bodies, we are limited by our brains, our emotional makeup, and our personalities.
Nobody has a day with more than 24 hours!
Steal The Time
Simply remember to rise earlier than your family. Spend some time relaxing and enjoying things like a good book and coffee. Even better, use this extra time to go for a leisurely walk before going to work. Permit boredom to develop.
The more you practise doing this, the more you’ll come to understand that solitude is not the same as loneliness. Instead, it enables interaction with your environment.
The Rules
- Obey the posted speed limit.
- Avoid texting and driving.
- Join the grocery store’s longest checkout line.
- Use a dumbphone instead of your smartphone.
- After your morning quiet time, turn off your phone.
- Set aside time for social media, TV, and email.
- Single-task.
- Walk slowly.
- Spend a typical day alone in solitude and silence.
- Try keeping a journal.
- Meditate.
Be Inefficient and Daydream!
We don’t always need to be so effective. On your way home, try driving at the speed limit or give other drivers a chance to merge in front of you if they need a moment. It might be a peaceful period of solitude during which you can think back on your day and pay attention to your inner voice.
Your smartphone is almost always the main offender.
Switching to a “dumb” phone is one trick. And honestly, do we really need social media and emails to alert us constantly?
But if that idea doesn’t appeal to you, you could remove the social media and email apps from your phone and stick to calling and texting.
The Hurry Sickness
Hurry is a form of soul-harming violence. A few signs of hurry sickness are listed below:
1. Irritability — You lose your temper, get frustrated, or are simply irritated too easily.
2. Hypersensitivity — All it takes to set you off is a passing remark, a negative email, or a small turn of events. You never seem to be able to take a punch.
3. Unease — Even when you make an effort to slow down and unwind, you find it difficult to unwind.
4. Workaholism (or simply nonstop activity) — You simply lack the sense of knowing when to stop. Or even worse, you are unable to stop.
5. Emotional numbness — You are unable to feel another person’s suffering.
