I came across the saying above ‘One slow thing at a time is a powerful way to live’. That saying has stuck with me for years and I find that it really helps me when I feel I have too much to do and I feel overwhelmed. I just tell myself OK Tom just do one thing and do it slowly. No pressure at all. The sense of being torn between different things fades away and I get into doing one thing. Also the sense of pressuring myself to do something quickly fades away. I have given myself permission to do one thing and do it slowly.
Benefits of slow
Slow takes away the pressure my monkey mind is putting me under. I have to get this, this and this done today. Saying one slow thing at a time gives me permission to take my time and relax and do one thing and focus on it and enjoy it. I become more present in the moment. It is paradoxical because I find that telling myself do one slow thing at a time actually helps me get more done! Multi-tasking is a myth. What multi-tasking really means is rapidly switching between tasks. Multi-tasking is really switch-tasking. Every time we switch tasks there is a stop/start process that goes on in the brain and this stop starting process is energy sapping. I feel that this is certainly true in my own case and I prefer to focus on only one task at a time.
Beating procrastination
I also find that telling myself to do one slow thing at a time helps me beat putting things off. There is no need to procrastinate because I have given myself permission to do one thing slowly. I think this reduces the energy barrier to starting something new because you have given yourself permission to do it slowly.
In summary
Doing one slow thing at a time is a powerful way to live. The next time you are feeling overwhelmed or are procrastinating just pick one thing and give yourself permission to do it slowly. Enjoy the slowness of it and watch yourself get more done. Let the power of slow work in your life!
Best wishes,
Tom
