What is slow living? You may have heard the term
in the media recently. It's a movement that is quickly gaining in popularity, alongside the
minimalist movement. But what does it stand for? For many, the word 'slow' has mostly negative
connotations. In today's fast-paced world, it's all about efficiency, getting things
done quicker, and living life to the max. Surely, you get left behind when you take things
more slowly, right? I definitely had this view myself in the past. Life was all about work
hard, play hard. But I've recently embraced the slow living lifestyle and it's one of the
best things that have ever happened to me. So, in this video, I will explain what slow
living is, to hopefully inspire you to bring some slowness into your life. If you're new here,
my name is Peter Cook and on this channel, I post videos about slow and more intentional living, as
well as minimalism and mindfulness. So if that's something you're interested in, please consider
subscribing to the channel. In this video, we'll be talking about: what is slow living,
3 slow living myths, and how you can live more slowly. I've added these timestamps, so you can
easily navigate between the different sections. Slow living is about taking a slower approach to
how we live our life. The slow living movement started with food. In 1986, Carlo Petrini
protested against the opening of a McDonald's right next to the Spanish steps in Rome.
This sparked the slow food movement in Italy, that focused on sustainable farming, artisanal
production, and using local seasonal produce. And it wasn't just about the food itself. They
also advocated taking your time having dinner, connecting with family and friends. In the
following decades, the movement gained traction and led to similar initiatives in other fields,
like Citta Slow. This is an organization that aims to slow down city life. But it was Carl
Honoré's 2004 book 'In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed' that
really put the slow movement on the map. Reading this book is also what really brought the
slow movement to life for me. He describes how, as a society, our love of speed, our obsession
with doing more and more in less and less time, has gone too far. It's not that speed is all
bad. Most of us probably wouldn't want to live without fast internet, or the possibility to
travel with an airplane. But we're so focused on speed and efficiency that it has turned into
an addiction. We have forgotten what it's like to simply look forward to something, and how
to enjoy the moment when that thing arrives. We've lost the art of doing nothing, of shutting
out the background noise and distractions, of slowing down and simply being alone with our
thoughts. And that was written in 2004, before social media and smartphones took over our lives!
The slow movement aims to bring back balance in our lives. As Carl Honoré writes: Being slow means never rushing just for the sake
of it. Like speeding in traffic to get home when deep down you know that one minute you
gain doesn't make any difference. Instead, being slow means remaining calm, even when
circumstances force us to speed up. There's this false belief that fast is always better. The word
slow has a PR problem. It's almost a dirty word, many associate it with things like dull, mediocre,
not learning easily, sluggish. On the flip side, what we associate with the word fast is much
more exciting. Things like quick, enthralling, wild, fun. We only care about who wins the race,
not who came in fourth. In her autobiography, Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher wrote that "even
instant gratification takes too long." In a way, many of us live like that on a daily basis.
The slow movement aims to change that view. Slower often means better. Better health,
because taking things slowly reduces stress and thereby the risk of all kinds of illnesses.
Slower can also lead to better work performance. This may seem counterintuitive, especially
if you listen to some productivity gurus out there that proudly boast about how they're
able to read 100 books in a single month. But, as I'll explain later in this video,
our brain has two modes of thought: fast thinking and slow thinking. And when you
attend to them equally, they reinforce each other, which leads to more creative insights and
better results. If you take things slow, you'll be more receptive, patient, reflective, and
even better able to choose quality over quantity. It's about making real and meaningful connections.
With people, culture, work, food, everything. Ultimately, the slow movement asks the question:
What makes life worth living? Is it money? That big house or fancy car? Having
that job with high social status? There's nothing wrong with wanting to have
these things, but only if they are truly what you desire. Too often though, we buy into the idea
that this is what we must chase, losing ourselves along the way. And if we're unlucky, we find
ourselves locked in with either golden shackles or in debt. Unhappy, but finding it impossible
to break away. They say life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. Well,
someone who lives the slow living lifestyle takes an active stand against that. They aim to be more
intentional, be more present in the moment. According to palliative carer Bronnie Ware,
the top 5 most common regrets shared by people nearing death include: "I wish I had had
the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me,"
and "I wish I hadn't worked so hard." Slow living is a way to prevent having those
regrets if you're lucky enough to grow old... So now that you have a basic understanding of
what slow living is, let's bust some slow living myths. There are a number of misconceptions
about the slow living lifestyle and I may dedicate an entire video to this in the future.
But right now, I want to touch on three. Myth 1: Slow is anti-speed. Just because the slow movement advocates taking things more slowly doesn't mean slow is the only way to go. We are hardwired for speed. We get a kick from the feeling of going fast. That's why so many of us enjoy going on a roller coaster in a theme park. Focusing on speed often accelerates progress,
with better results over time. For example, just 5 years ago, using my phone to shoot quality
videos was not really an option. I was considering buying a $2,000 camera instead. In the end,
I didn't because it was just above my budget. Fast forward to today and I'm shooting in 4k
on my iPhone. If the developers had been taking things slow every step of the way, I wouldn't
be in this position. So I'm grateful for that. But what the slow movement is emphasizing is that
our obsession with speed has spun out of control. Carl Honoré recalls a chat that he had with slow
food founder Carlo Petrini, in which Petrini said: So it's really about doing everything at the right
pace. Some things require speed but other things benefit from taking it slow. We become better
listeners in conversations with our loved ones, notice more of the beauty that surrounds us when
we're in nature, and we're able to get into a flow state more easily. The goal is to find balance.
What musicians call 'tempo giusto', which means right speed. It's about finding the right place
for you, with every activity that you engage in. Myth 2: Slow is anti-technology. If you watch other YouTubers in the slow-living niche, it seems that quite a few really have
this love for vintage, crafty stuff, gardening, a yearning for the past, living in
nature, and going analog. Don't get me wrong: these can all be wonderful things to bring into
your life! But it could create the impression that that's what slow living is about. That you're
not doing it right if you're not chasing that and are not moving away from technology. But if
it wasn't for technology, those videos wouldn't be on YouTube in the first place! To create those
videos, you need a camera, microphone, a computer, editing software. There's a lot that goes into
making a video that you may not even be aware of. For instance, I'm recording this in my
bedroom under a blanket, to get the best possible audio quality. However, the slow-living
lifestyle does challenge how we use technology. Instagram and other social media platforms use
techniques like 'infinite scroll' to keep you scrolling on their app. With every video you watch
on YouTube, the AI's algorithm finetunes what you might be interested in, to increase the chance
that you will watch the next video. And the next one... The Netflix documentary 'The Social Dilemma'
was a real eye-opener for me in that sense. Slow living is about taking a step back and being
more intentional about how you spend your time. With that, being seen, showing off to others,
getting likes, it loses its attraction. But if you don't take control of what you give attention to,
technology will. Put your phone away. If you're trying to focus and you... Technology and slow living can
go really well together, they don't have to bite each other. But by adopting a slow living mindset,
you can be more intentional about how and when to use that technology, and when not to. Myth 3: If you're slow, you can't get anything done. So this myth was a big one for me, personally.
I'm definitely a perfectionist and someone who likes to get things done. The idea of slowing down
freaked me out a bit. Not just because I feared that a slower pace meant getting less done, but
also that a slower pace would make me lethargic. Make me lose motivation to do anything, really.
But that's based on a misconception of how our brain works. Our brain has two modes of
thought: fast thinking and slow thinking. Fast thinking is rational, analytical, and
it's what we do best when under pressure. Slow thinking, on the other hand, is more
intuitive and creative. It's a type of thinking that we don't do consciously. It happens in the
background but can yield rich and subtle insights. Have you ever had a Eureka moment when you were
in the middle of taking a shower? That was slow thinking at work! Now, it's important to keep in
mind that slow thinking works best in combination with fast thinking. In his book 'Hyperfocus',
Chris Bailey explains this really well. He uses the terms 'hyperfocus' and 'scatterfocus',
which more or less correspond with fast and slow thinking. First, you have to apply hyperfocus
to a problem you're working on. Make sure it completely fills your attentional space. At this
stage, it's all about being efficient, productive, blocking out distractions. However, that will only
get you so far. Just as hyperfocus is the most productive mode of the brain, scatterfocus is the
most creative. Scatterfocus is not done sitting behind a desk. It really helps if you can do some
mild physical exercise, like hiking, or cycling. But you can also take your time to cook a meal.
While holding the problem loosely in your mind, you're allowing your mind to wander. This takes
advantage of what's called the 'Zeigarnik effect': We're wired to remember what we're in the
middle of more than what we've completed. Thanks to this effect, we store problems
currently stomping us at the front of our minds. Our brain is desperate to close these open
loops. This way, hyperfocus and scatterfocus, or slow thinking, reinforce each other,
and can actually make you more productive. Okay, so you now have a basic understanding of
what slow living is, and we've debunked three common misconceptions about slow living. If you're
still with me, watching this video, you may think to yourself: it sounds interesting, but how do I
get started? Here are my 5 tips to take your first steps. Tip 1: Take 10 minutes to do nothing. Make a cup of tea or coffee and just sit down.
On the couch, balcony, it doesn't matter. Just 10 minutes, you can do that, right? Make sure your phone is turned off. Ideally, even out of sight, you can
put it in the bedroom, for example. No reading, no journaling, no talking. Just take this
time to be still and see how that feels. This is something most of us never
do and can be very insightful. Just sitting there, doing nothing, already slows
you down. But you might also notice how much of a racing mind you have. How quickly you feel like
grabbing your phone or start organizing the room. Just to do something! If you only have time
to take action on one of the five tips, I recommend doing nothing for 10 minutes. Tip 2: Do something creative. Getting in touch with your creative side is a great way to slow down. Pick something you really enjoy. It can be drawing, flower decorating, playing
guitar, cooking, whatever rocks your boat. To really get this to work, make sure you
can give it your full attention. So don't put a movie on in the background or have
your phone next to you. In my experience, it can take a bit of time to get into it, but once
you're in that state of flow, magic can happen. Tip 3: Go for a walk in nature. This is a double win. Going for a walk is one of the best things you can do to slow down. Because the pace is slow,
it will naturally slow down your mind as well. Unlike any other type of exercise, anyone
can do it, and you can do it anywhere. But by going for a walk in nature, the whole
environment is helping you to slow down. Nature is never in a rush. It's soothing.
Just check out the video I made about going on a slow and mindful winter morning hike,
which I will link to in the top right corner. Tip 4: Start your day information-free. If you're like most people, the first thing you probably do
when you wake up is grab your phone. Perhaps it's just to hit the snooze button, but from there, it's a small step to checking the news, your Instagram feed, Whatsapp messages. You're not even out of bed
and already, your attention is getting hijacked! Make it a practice to put your phone on
airplane mode before you go to sleep at night. Then, in the morning, first take a moment to
wake up, shower, perhaps even do some exercise or journal. This doesn't have to take up a lot of
time, I know, we're all busy. But by doing this, you can start your morning with intention
and lay the foundation for the day ahead. Tip 5: Spend time alone. One of the best ways to slow down is to spend more time alone. This is good for anyone, but even more important
for those that identify as an introvert, like me. By finding the time in your day to quiet down,
it will be easier to find and listen to your own voice. You can use this time to reflect, read,
perhaps even meditate. But what's important is that you do you. Take the time to hang out with
yourself. Acknowledge your quirky sides and nurture them, even if that's dancing and rapping
along with notorious big while wearing headphones. B-I-G P-O-P-P-A! That's slow living in a nutshell. I hope that
you now have a better understanding of what slow living is, what it is not, and how you can
take your first steps towards living more slowly yourself. If you want to learn more, I will link
to a couple of books that I found particularly helpful in the description below. And I'll also
link to some good videos about slow living by other YouTubers. If you enjoyed this video, please
hit that 'like' button. And, if you're interested in seeing more videos like this, please subscribe
to my channel. Besides slow living, I also create videos around minimalism and mindfulness.
Let me know in the comments below: what does slow living mean to you? Thanks so much for
watching! And I will see you in the next video.
