There’s a lot of pressure in our society to always be achieving something. If you’re not moving forward, you’re drowning.
The concept of a fast society isn’t new. In 1989, Ben Agger coined the term ‘Fast Capitalism,’ to describe technology’s impact on civilization’s lifestyle. “Collapsing time and space,” is exactly what the Internet did. The time required for travel, communication, and agriculture was cut into a fraction of what it was before.
No one’s complaining about overnight deliveries or the ability to get tax returns directly into our bank accounts. Yet, we don’t talk enough about how the shortening of time has impacted our psyches.
We’ve become so accustomed to constantly moving that we perceive rest as a failure. As Prospect Magazine stated back in 2019, “our hurriedness seems to be symptomatic of a cultural shift towards acceleration where progress is conflated with productivity.”
So, if you’re not getting that next promotion, relationship, or life event, your esteem takes a hit. You look at yourself with shame, frustration, guilt, and the unreasonable judgment that you didn’t get what you wanted because you didn’t do enough. In reality, the most important things in life still take time to build.
This article is an exploration of movement in our society and how lessons around slowing down can help set you up to better achieve your goals, while also preserving your happiness.
Slowing down improves your quality of work
I, like most of us, have felt that nagging need to always be doing something. I believed my time was scarce and there weren’t enough hours in the workweek to accomplish everything I needed to do.
After a majority of my days were spent in a cosmic state of anxiety, propelling from one task to the next, I noticed my performance was declining. I’d frequently end 10-hour workdays with little to show.
At the beginning of the month, I decided to switch from westernized forms of yoga to the more traditional eastern roots of Sivananda yoga. It was then I began to notice a mental shift.
A major difference between eastern and western practices is the secularity of the latter. In most eastern philosophies, yoga is a spiritual tool meant to quiet the body so more focus, and control, can go towards internal movements, such as the breath and thoughts.
As Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres put it, “Raja [meditation] yoga is the practice of stilling or restraining the thought-waves through a systematic control of body and mind, culminating in meditation and the superconscious state.” As a result, the physical practice of Sivananda incorporates intentional resting periods after each exercise.
When I was first instructed to slow everything down – my mind, my body, my breath; a debilitating restlessness and anxiety overcame me.
Oxford Languages defines stillness as the absence of movement or sound. When you’re not used to that level of it, it’s unnerving. Everything in your body tells you to get up and do something. Yet, after sticking with the practice for the month, the transition was transcending.
There was a major shift in my mood. I was calmer, more level-headed, and uncharacteristically present. I found myself at ease during situations that required problem-solving and being more focused while I worked. By the end of the month, I cleared up most of my running to-do list while decreasing the number of hours I spent at work.
My results are not isolated. Similarly, studies by Fast Company have proven that incorporating 15-to-20-minute breaks throughout your workday helps sustain concentration and energy levels. It’s safe to conclude that adding small breaks between strenuous activities is a case of working smarter, not harder.
Slowing down prevents burnout
Multiple studies have shown that working longer hours, with no rest days, increases the chances of burnout. The Mayo Clinic defines workplace burnout as, “a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involved a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.”
It’s no secret that our brainpower is finite. You can only make so many decisions in a day, and if you’re overloading yourself with too much, you may find yourself, long-term, in a position where you stop moving completely.
Consider exercise as an example. To gain muscle, you have to tear them. Muscle development begins after a resting period. If you’re going to the gym seven days a week, targeting the same area, you won’t see much progress and may increase your chances of an injury.
This is the same with productivity. To gain new skills and perspective, you have to give yourself a chance to absorb your day-to-day activities.
I’ve had many nights when I would end the day physically and mentally exhausted. The next day, it’d be difficult to wake up on time or start the day with the mental fortitude needed to approach to-do lists with conviction and power. I’d be running on fumes and my work suffered as a result.
A study by Inc. reported that participants who took one day off each week performed better than those who worked seven days a week. Even those who only put a couple of hours in on the weekend suffered. Similar to the athletic analogy, slowing down and taking intentional rest was essential to heal from the work week and continue progressing.
I’m a very firm believer that there are enough hours in the day for this and I’m not the only one that believes it. John Donahoe, the CEO of Nike, reported to the Wall Street Journal last year that he targets 7-hours of sleep every day. This is on top of meditating for 10 minutes every morning.
Tom Ford, the owner of the impressive namesake fashion line, also noted in a later edition, if he doesn’t have his quiet time to “just think in the mornings, I’m not together all day long. I can really feel it.” If market leaders can make time in their day to slow down, so can you.
Slowing down isn’t passive
A handful of spiritual and indigenous practices view rest as an essential part of the growth cycle. Following the natural patterns of the Earth, there’s a deep understanding, and acceptance, that there are different reasons for different seasons.
Even if you’re not spiritual, you can take something away from their lessons. For example, Wiccan practices, which closely follow the phases of the moon, break up its rituals into restorative and destructive periods.
During the moon’s waning period, which occurs after a full moon as it becomes less visible in the sky, practitioners are instructed to focus on prayers that eliminate, remove, and altogether, release the circumstance in their life that is no longer serving them.
Slowing down can feel like you’re not doing anything, but you’re actually switching to a more passive form of movement, which is essential to progress. If you’re only focused on growth and never get the chance to reflect and see what’s working or what isn’t, you build the risk of nurturing habits that are detrimental to your wellbeing and progress.
Consider the lifecycle of a plant. From germination to full bloom, after the harvest, the gardener must clean up their plot to prepare for the next season. Without doing so, the soil would become infertile and their next harvest would suffer.
When you take intentional time to reflect on the work you did, you’re able to find the ways you’re able to improve it. Slowing down gives you room to assess your reality and make necessary adjustments. This improves the productivity of your work and the quality of your life.
I’ve come to appreciate these down periods in my own life. I use them as a chance to remove bad habits or thinking patterns that keep me anchored to my present state. I’m also able to look back and see how much I’ve accomplished over time, which makes me more motivated to keep going.
When the growth cycle returns to its more active phase, I’m better equipped to handle new challenges and situations.
Conclusion
On average, it takes ten years for someone to be considered an expert in their industry. Accomplishing something worthwhile can’t ever be contorted by our society’s philosophies about time.
I won’t discount that certain pressures, such as deadlines and immediate needs, require a quicker place. Yet, your average day shouldn’t be a race.
Take some time for yourself today, even if it’s only for ten minutes, and see the impact it can have on your life. Focus on long-term building and remember, that great things still take time.
I’m a Detroit-based writer who splits her time between commercial and creative writing. I am very fascinated with exploring the different philosophies and cultures of the world. Outside of my writing, I’m an avid adventurer, an advocate for mental and social wellness, and a proud cat mom of 2.
