Slow living

As a lover of lists and getting things done, slow living was a hard concept for me to grasp. I had worked for 10 years in a fast pace work environment where I’d criticize myself if my to do list wasn’t completed by the end of the day. But the more books I read on the power of meditation, breathwork, and slowing down, the more I craved scrapping my to do lists.

I am now actually pretty amazed to say the only lists I have are books I want to read or lists of what I am grateful for. And the best thing about living life in the slow lane: I am so much more present and the most simple things can bring so much joy. I even spent a good five minutes staring at Bruce’s nose the other day amazed at every little detail!

Look at that beautiful nose!

Looking back, I realise now I was never present whilst ticking things off my list, I was simply getting a hit from ticking it off and moving onto the next thing whilst thinking about what was next after that. It was rare that I was ever that present at work. I am so grateful now I’ve found the power of presence and slow living, it has brought me so much joy.

So here are a few things I would have found really powerful to have had in my 9-5 routine before full-time vanlife.

Take a break and make a drink. Enjoy every step of the process, from making the drink to enjoying every sip.
Take meditation or breathwork breaks. It doesn’t have to be a 30 min session, 5 minutes can be really powerful too. There are tons of apps and YouTube videos out there but I find InsightTimer works best for me.
Enjoy every task. Find joy in what you are working on right there and then. Appreciate a detail you might not have noticed if you were just doing the task just to blitz through it.

And here are a few books that helped me get there: