Slow Living & Busy Days: 5 Ways to Stay Calm Without Burnout

One of the biggest misconceptions about Slow Living (that I try to combat by writing this blog) is that it’s a life of idleness. In that case, Slow Living would be a rather exclusive club, available only to trust fund babies or if your dad invented the Toaster Strudel (brownie points if you get the reference ;)

The truth is that the majority of us have work. And it’s not just the modern world - since the beginning of humanity, we have been busy hunting, gathering, farming, cooking and more. The difference is that now we are often confined to small cubicles or spend hours glued to chairs under fluorescent lights, staring at computer screens and reading yet another email asking for things to get done ASAP, reminding us about deadlines and demanding more, faster…

And this is where Slow Living comes in, helping you navigate the whirlwind of tasks, deadlines and responsibilities with clarity and a calm mind. If your to-do list feels overwhelming (mine certainly does!), I hope these five reminders will help you navigate busy days without sacrificing your well-being.

1. Get clear on what is urgent - and what anxiety and other people tell you is urgent

People love making things seem urgent simply because they want them done fast. Even worse - sometimes we create the feeling of stress and anxiety in our own minds and bodies just because we know someone is waiting. I’m personally guilty of this - I hate knowing that someone is waiting and I immediately feel I should fulfil their needs.

Ask yourself: Does this truly need to be done right now? Is this my responsibility or am I being pushed by someone else’s sense of urgency?

Slowing down to define real priorities helps you assess your workload and determine what is actually urgent.

2. A sense of urgency doesn’t make you any faster

This has become a bit of a mantra for me in recent weeks. Have you ever seen the "waiting faster" meme? If not, I’ve added it below - it perfectly captures the absurdity of it.

If a task takes, say, two hours to complete, working on it with anxious urgency doesn’t make you any faster. If anything, you’ll be more prone to mistakes and may actually work slower or need extra time for corrections.

So next time something genuinely urgent comes up, take a deep breath, focus on one thing at a time and work at your own pace. A steady rhythm is better than frantic rushing.

3. Perfection is the enemy of good

This was one of the first business lessons I learned in real life when I was designing the original YR Studio website. Perfection often holds you back more than it helps, and 99% of the time, good is enough.

Striving for excellence is great and you should keep improving - especially in the areas that matter to you. But when perfectionism starts delaying you or sucking the joy out of a task, it’s time to remind yourself that good is enough.

4. You don’t have to be at your peak all the time

A gentle reminder: You don’t have to be the most productive, the most creative or the most disciplined every single day. Like the moon, we go through phases - especially women, whose monthly hormonal changes naturally affect our energy levels. We can’t expect our bodies and minds to be equally productive and brilliant all the time.

5. If you don’t choose a time for rest, your body will choose for you

As I mentioned in point 4, it’s impossible to be productive non-stop. You can push for months, even years at a time, but if you don’t eventually schedule time to rest, your body will force you to.

Nature slows down for a quarter of the year, every machine needs regular maintenance, yet for some reason, we humans act as if we’re invincible. I once worked with a man who bragged about working 18 night shifts in a row. Despite his hustler demeanour, deep down, it felt like he really hated the world - he was constantly complaining about everything and everyone. This attitude isn’t surprising - if you neglect your body and mind’s needs, there’s little chance you’ll see anything good in the world around you.

A few closing words

Slow Living isn’t just quiet days in the countryside. It might not be what you expect from me, but I believe that working is good for us (Mum would be proud! :). Stress, annoying bosses and pointless meetings might be the short end of the stick, but overall, having a regular occupation - something to work for and be proud of - is important for our well-being. But that doesn’t mean we have to burn ourselves out, counting the years until retirement. Busy days will come and go, but we can move through them with awareness, kindness (towards others and ourselves!) and balance, finding quiet moments to calm our mind and rest our body.

Thank you for reading,
Adriana x

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