Slow Living Tips

Slow living has made me immeasurably healthier and happier but – unexpectedly – has also helped me be more successful at what I am doing and finally, to sort out my finances.

In many ways slowing down wasn’t a choice.

As a newish, single mother I was struggling with parenting, work and even the most basic housekeeping. My immune system and finances were in pieces; I suffered with frequent recurrent flu, shingles and infections and was haunted by the monster that is debt.

In a world where the constant buzz of busy-busy is a symbol of not only success but also virtue, I was failing big time. I couldn’t keep up at that speed and my whole show was coming off the rails.

So I had to slow down.

But slowly in that slower lane I found a new way of living that is sustainable for me and my family and full of far more joy.

It’s not been straight forward.

I’ve ventured up some blind alleys and taken many a wrong turn but in that journey I have discovered all sorts of small ways in which to live slowly but joyfully and in this post I’ve tried to bring them together to share with you.

These little slow living tips aren’t intended as a set of strict rules we all need to live by for any hope of happiness. We all have different needs.

Some of us will be happier – and more successful – dedicating ourselves to a much slower life. But some of us just need more respite in the patterns of our lives from the speed at which we now expect ourselves to live

Whatever your needs – wherever you are on your journey – I hope you find some help in these slow living tips. We don’t have to hurtle hectically through our time holding on for dear life. There is another way to live and it can be very good.

80 Slow Living Tips For A More Joyful Life

Cherish sleep …
… and stop sabotaging it.
Have a day of rest weekly …
… and when you just need one.
Build slack into every day.
Stop making a virtue of having no time.
Walk every day wherever you can and use the downtime …
… to talk
… to connect with your community
… to muse & ponder.
Love local.
Build simple daily habits.
Build weekly rhythms.
Ditch … don’t delegate.
Stop reinventing the wheel for the sake of it …
… enjoy the familiar.
Stop over scheduling kids …
… enjoy slower happier parenting.
Learn to do more in less time and savour the time saved, don’t fill it …
Keep plenty of weekends free.
Put aside time to energise yourself in the right way for you … introverts need time alone, extraverts need time to talk … every day.
If you’re an introvert and get exhausted by other people, don’t try and live your life by the standards of extroverts.
Time block communication and only answer emails and messages in that time block.
Learn to say no.
Very gently declutter a few things every day.
Switch off phone notifications.
Give yourself time to recover …
… from illness …
… from grief …
… from heartache …
Start living debt free so you stop having to run so fast to fund a lifestyle you can’t sustain …
Clear your calendar … by half … and half again
Stroll, saunter, wander …
… take time to stop and stare.
Follow the seasons …
… join the harvest
… sleep more in winter.
Keep going back to the same place.
Organise your calendar around simple traditions …
… and enjoy the calm of the old and familiar.
Go out without your phone.
Notice yourself in the full flow of feeling happy … what are you doing? … do more of it?
Detox from stimulants … coffee, sugar, alcohol & screens … for at least 6 weeks every year.
Give up your car.
Play old games or do old jigsaws with phones off.
Take care of your circadian rhythm, get up and outside in the light early.
Go on a wifi & phone free retreat every year.
Go on a low information diet.
Stop buying things you never use.
Break your cable news addiction … whatever our politics, Rachel Maddow and Tucker Carlson are equally bad for us.
Ride a bike.
Deinstall any apps you’re addicted to on your phone.
Stick to one messaging app only.
Re-read books.
Write a not doing list, so you consciously acknowledge all the things whirring around in your head that you’re not going to do.
Notice nature …
… see which way the wind is blowing every day …
… look at the stars …
… spot what the trees are doing.
Make time to clean …
Make time to cook simple healthy food …
… be in the moment …
… and enjoy what you’re doing.
Switch your phone off when you’re with your kids.
Get real exercise from physical work – travelling, cleaning, gardening – rather than constantly trying to squeeze in time for artificial exercise.
Unsubscribe from a couple of email lists every day.
Practice something pleasurable for five minutes every day.
Grow a few things but don’t go crazy just start …
… a few simple vegetables …
… some basic herbs …
… a pot of spring bulbs.
Learn to done one thing better and better with your hands.
Holiday at home.
Travel slowly by train.
Help children learn to contribute to family chores.
Recognise the times in the year you take on too much e.g. Christmas, holidays, new school year and work out what else you will stop doing to build in slack.
Keep an eye on why you’re doing things … very often it’s not because they’re important or actually make us happy.
Find time every week to connect with the past.
Go hiking.
Be a little sceptical of progress … the failures of the past do not guarantee their replacement will be any better.