f you’ve been reading Smaggle for a while, you’ll know that I’m a productivity junkie. I want things done well and fast, pretty much all the time. However I’ve been tentatively dipping my toe in the Woo Woo pool a bit this year and experimenting with being mindful (I’ve even been known to meditate! I know right?) and there are a few things I’ve been doing ‘the long way’ and I’ve been loving it. Examples include…
– Hand writing the day and date in my notebook ‘diary’ and decorating the pages with inspirational quotes and stickers rather than using a regular diary
– Walking to the gym instead of driving and not panicking that it takes 2 hours out of my day
– Poaching eggs one at a time because they cook better that way
– Enjoying painting my own nails rather than getting a speed manicure at the nail salon down the road
– Taking time to eat my breakfast slowly and enjoy a hot beverage rather than bolting it down as quickly as possible to get to my desk to start the day
I actually love rushing and being busy so I have to force myself to slow down and do things mindfully but when I do, I rarely regret it. There really are hidden perks in doing things the long way…
1. It’s enjoyable
If you take the time to pack yourself a lovely lunch for work and actually take a break to unplug and enjoy it, it will slow down the pace of the day and give you time to decompress. The secret is to let go of any guilt associated with taking extra time to do things. If I walk to the gym, it’s a two hour round trip but it does wonders for my mental and physical health, so I constantly remind myself of that.
2. You make less mistakes
If you’ve got a really boring job to do like stuffing a bunch of envelopes or folding up the laundry, if you take a deep breathe and start doing the task slowly and methodically, you’ll make less mistakes and the repetitive rhythm will give you enough momentum to keep you going until the task is complete. I do this when I have to find images for a months worth of blog posts. I accept that fact that it’s going to take a few hours and I just sink in the for ride. It’s much less stressful than resisting it.
3. You remain calm
There’s nothing that will stress you out more than leaving something to the last minute and rushing around trying to get it done before your deadline passes. If you choose to do things the long way and allow enough time to complete your task, you will avoid those last minute freak outs that are terrible for your stress levels. For example if I’m baking a cake for a dinner party, I’ll do it in the early afternoon, so I can take my time and do it properly, rather than run around at the last minute trying to throw everything together.
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
Is there anything that you like to do the long way? Are you a fan of taking your time?
[divider type=”standard” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
P.S Did you know there’s a Smaggle newsletter? And Smags on Facebook? There’s lots of cool shit in both places so make sure you go to there.