The Power of Moving Slower

I often find that the people who make the most mistakes in life are the ones who try to move too fast. They also happen to be the most stressed, anxious, and distracted.

Focus is about moving slower. It’s about taking your time and doing every single action deliberately and consciously.

It starts with paying attention to the simplest of actions, such as putting your keys down somewhere, or choosing a word carefully, or answering a question on an exam.

Because what happens when you make a mistake? Your mind is usually wandering and drifting – and you aren’t fully there in the moment.

Your body is putting down your keys, but your mind is thinking about what to eat for dinner. So the next morning you wake up and find yourself saying, “Where the hell did I put my keys?”

This is a result of trying to move too fast and jumping ahead of yourself. And a lot of it can be avoided if you just tried to move a little slower throughout your daily life.

• Do one thing at a time – Only focus on doing one thing at a time. Trying to do too much at once can deplete mental resources and make you more likely to get tired and make a mistake.
• Stay in the present – Keep your mind fixated on the present. Try not to think about the past or think about the future, and just be concerned with doing your best in any given moment.
• Minimize distractions – Try to avoid distractions as much as possible, like finding a quiet and peaceful environment, or working by yourself where others can’t bother you, or turning off technology you aren’t using like your phone or TV.
• Slow down your movements – Make a conscious attempt to move slower. You may even want to try exaggerating your movements by slowing them down a lot and watching every little move you make. This is something that’s really fun to practice in a “Walking Meditation.”
• Think before you walk away – Before you finish something, take a moment to think and make sure you did everything the way you wanted to. Don’t just push forward, give yourself a chance to reflect for a quick second before moving to the next thing.

The power of moving slower is something that’s really easy to understand, but it can be difficult to practice.

Many of us have built a habit out of moving as fast as possible and trying to get as much done as possible. This gives us the illusion that we are working hard and getting things done, but it can actually be very counterproductive.

One of my favorite quotes is, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished” by Lao Tzu. I try to constantly remind myself of this thought whenever I find myself rushing and trying to move too fast.

When you move slower you often get more done, because you take the time to do things right the first time, instead of having to go back and correct all your mistakes.

Try moving a little slower in your daily life.

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