Can we Slow Down in a Fast-paced World? Simple slow living tips

With most of us in lockdown or in semi-lockdown, it is a good time to re-think our pace, hunker down into our stay-at-home lifestyles and learn how to slow down. Here's my take on slow living and how to slow down your life a tad.

I’m the kind of person who likes to have a productive day and feel compelled to pack my days, even weekends with all kinds of things. But lately, I’ve begun to question this…this running from pillar to post at home, trying to prove to myself that I’m doing a marvellous job of balancing my work-from-home and stay-at-home life. 

The lockdown made me question this constant need to be on the move, doing something, checking things off my to-do list. Though I will be the first to vouch for the importance of having productive, purposeful days, I also realise that there are lots of times when I need to slow down and enjoy life. That doesn't mean lolling in the bed the whole day or staring at the sky mindlessly (though when done in moderate doses, that is meditation in itself).

Slowing down or building in pockets of slow in our lives is actually healing at so many different levels.

Photo credit: Unsplash

“Being slow” can look different and be different things to different people.
Meditating for a few minutes; writing in your journal; just sitting down and looking out of the window; being in the moment; doing one thing at a time instead of multitasking. Resting, taking a nap, finding a few minutes to catch up with a friend on the phone instead of texting….there are so many ways to build in slow into our days.

I find doing hand embroidery or knitting also helps me be slow and contemplative.

Slowing down is also about changing how I/we think. Instead of giving myself a hard time for not accomplishing all the things on my to-do, comparing myself with others who set and meet all their crisp goals, I am learning to accept myself and the speed at which I like to function. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we use going slow as an excuse to not get anything done. But instead, balance what we want to accomplish with a healthy dose of slow and letting go of comparisons.

Slow can also mean simplifying and letting go of thoughts, things, to-do’s, and goals that often clutter our physical, emotional and mental space. 

Know that even if you work-from-home, homeschool and homemake, you can weave in slow and create something that’s more in tandem with your own rhythm. A rhythm that doesn’t compel you to fill every waking moment with “busy”.

If you enjoyed this post (which is from a chapter in my new book), feel free to read "Queen Of The At-Home Lifestyle: A gal's guide to working-from-home, homemaking and homeschooling'.

For videos on homeschooling, working-from-home and creating a joyful life at home, hop over to and subscribe to my Youtube Channel.