The idea that slowing your pace down might actually help you to accomplish your goals faster sounds counter intuitive, doesn’t it?
You’ve probably got a long to-do list and a whole handful of responsibilities all competing for your time (and might be thinking you don’t have time to read this post!) If you are looking for ways to get more accomplished in a day, moving at a faster pace sounds like the best solution, right?
A faster pace seems like a logical fix at first, but have you ever tried to maintain rushing from one task to the other for a long stretch of time? Trying to always have a high level of productivity and multitasking whenever and wherever you possibly can, will eventually lead to burn out. And on top of that, you end up putting your body through a lot more stress than you want, something that’s going to hinder rather than help you reach your goals.
I used to place too much worth in how much I was able to accomplish in a day or week. I would plan out my day and give myself the least amount of time possible to complete my tasks with hardly any buffer in between. While I may have gotten the things I wanted done, I soon realized the negative effect it was having on my emotional and physical health. I was not smiling as much, and over time I found that my body was more tense and on edge. Rather than being a grace-filled presence to those around me, I was causing more stress and tension.
I’m not the only one who’s experienced this. Numerous studies have been done and many papers published on the science of productivity. Research has shown that intentional concentrated focus with adequate breaks and rest produces better results over time rather than rushing through things and constantly multitasking.
For example, a professor from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and his colleague did a study on teachers grading papers. They found that taking three forty five minute breaks throughout the teachers workday decreased the time spent working, but increased the output, cutting a ten hour workday to seven and a half hours.
Not only does slowing down positively impact your productivity in the long run, it also benefits your emotional and mental health.
As a respected professor of pediatrics who writes for Psychology Today said,
“Constant future focus floods the brain with anticipatory stress signals—spikes of cortisol and adrenaline that keep us hyper-vigilant but drain our emotional bandwidth.”
– Jan Bonhoeffer M.D.
The Bible speaks about this as well. As Mathew 6:34 says,
“Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself.”
When you take time to wash your hands throughout the day, to sit down and enjoy a meal, or to take a walk without listening to anything, you’re suddenly alone with your own thoughts and you become more self aware. And all those goals and dreams you’re hustling to get done? You now have more time and brain focus to consider the best route to take and come up with more ideas to reach your goals.
When your body is not in a fight or flight mode, you’re able to think and focus. The creative part of your brain switches on. When you allow for moments of quiet and stillness, as hard as it is, you’ll find that throughout the rest of the day, you’ll have more mental space to generate ideas and thoughts around your goals, dreams and overall life.
You’re able to consider that conversation you had with a friend, that Bible verse you read, or perhaps a way to help out a family member or friend in need. The focus shifts of yourself and in that, there is always more joy. The Bible reminds us that there is so much more than just our to-do lists and desire to be productive.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2nd Corinthians 4:18.
Slowing down allows us to keep our focus on God, where we will find a renewed sense of purpose, meaning and strength allowing us to continue working throughout all our days.
As you go about your days this week, consider some ways you can bring slowness and clarity into your routine. Try taking a walk without listening to anything. Take a moment to take a deep breath in between tasks or before entering a room to say prayer or think about what kind of presence you’re bringing into the room. Take several deep breaths before you eat your meals. Take time to help out with a household chore and rather than using it as a chance to listen to podcasts, see it as an opportunity to reflect and clear your head. Now don’t get me wrong, I love listening to podcasts throughout the day, but I make sure that half the time, it’s just me, my head and God.
So as I go about my tasks, I’m learning to move slower and with more intention. There will be times when I need to hurry, but I’m learning to be okay with the disruptions, and to maximize them, rather than always pushing people out with an “I’m busy”. Consider what’s most important in your life. Sometimes we have to ask ourselves, “Is what I’m working on that important overall or is my relationship with these people and being a Christ-like presence in their lives most important?” If you’re not taking time to slow down, that probably won’t even have time to ask this question.
When we learn to slow down and complete tasks with calm intentionality, we’ll find our days will be more fun and meaningful, our quality of work will increase, and we’ll enjoy the process, making it more likely that we’ll continue to complete our plans and stick to our goals with the glory of God as our first and foremost goal.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
– Isaiah 26:3
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