Slow down to speed up
Posted on September 22, 2023 by Janet (Zsanett) Czifrus, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.
Slowing down will help you make better decisions, connect deeper with people, have more meaningful experiences, and improve your mental well-being.
When I became fully self-employed, my life sped up. My days were packed with learning about sales, marketing, being my own boss, networking, (over)thinking, studying and the most lovely part: serving my clients.
My immediate thought was that my capacity freed up and I can take more clients! Also I felt overloaded with information, excitement and emotions. I set the intention for a month to take some time off, meet new people and engage in inspiring conversations, listen deeply, be present, learn about their challenges, and be ready for opportunities.
It became a routine that I go back to and repeat every now and then. Each upleveling, each jump requires a period when I intentionally slow down to speed up.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu
Slow down to speed up
Slowing down has the potential to engage in deeper dialogues and better understand challenges from a wider perspective. The nature of consciousness tells us that solutions are always available. Consciousness is potent and infinite, available if we can BE in the present moment. Having the right intention and attention sets the direction of your energy: mental, emotional and physical. Intention energizes, attention amplifies.
- Accept that your challenges are complex.
- Pace the speed of your work: Slow down to speed up.
- Trust that solutions are always available.
- Set the right attention and intention by being present and directing your energy.
Learnings from leaders and runners about slowing down
My husband’s boss has a quote: ’Sleep faster!". We jokingly use it at home, too, when we feel overloaded with our duties. According to reserach three benefits of slowing down in an organization are: better communication, improved productivity, and lower amount of stress. Better communication leads to higher productivity, that will lead to higher sales. Take breathers and include reflections in your schedule. Make time to meet your team, your peers or your fellow entrepreneurs, and pace yourself to be able to complete the race and meet the finish line.
What we can learn from a study with runners is that investing your energy into regular, low-intensity training can be more beneficial on the long run (no pun intended!) than pushing yourself into high-intensity most of the time. It trains the heart and the lung function to become more resilient, it puts less stress on the body, and prepares you better for a race. As the article phrases, those garbage runs are not garbage runs at all! Push yourself when you have the energy in the 20-30% of the times, otherwise resiliently do the blue-collar work of your job. It will pay off.
Microhabits to slow down:
- Schedule time to think and put it in your calendar as a meeting your own thoughts
- Plan a buffer in your calendar
- Set time to meet new people, listen mindfully, use your beginner’s mind, and be open for opportunities
- Go back to the basics: eat healthy food, sleep well and enough, move your body, and meditate
Reflection questions:
- What is one action you can take to slow down?
- In which are of your life would you benefit from slowing down?
- What resistance do you feel when thinking about slowing down?
