Slow Down

Winning the race

Everyone wants happiness. We spend most of our lives trying to figure out how to achieve it. Many of us think it’s a byproduct of success and that success is a question of quantity. More is better. Life is a race, a competition. The goal is to get more and do more. Those who die with the most things, having accomplished the most things, win. Success comes from attaining these objectives. Happiness will then ensue.

However, more requires speed. Not only should we get up early, but we also need to move fast. It’s simple math. The longer we are awake, the more time we have to do and get. And the quicker we go, the more items we can perform during that time. Ultimately, we surmise that our aim is to operate at a lightning pace. Shove as many activities into every moment as possible. Fast gets you more which leads to success which translates into happiness.

For most of my life, I acted per this line of thinking. I loved phrases like “one speed, full speed” and “moderation is for cowards.” Granted, those aphorisms are somewhat tongue-in-cheek. But many of us go along with them, especially in professions where lives are at stake. Because from a pure job execution standpoint, they are often true. There are numerous factors that, when done in the shortest amount of time, yield a higher probability of mission success.

But we should be wary of applying that approach to everyday life. I only recently clued into how many regular things I now did unnecessarily quickly. Habitually, even when not in a legitimate hurry, I walked fast, talked fast, ate fast, etc. Assessing those behavior patterns honestly, I realized they were of no benefit and even harmful for a few reasons.

To start, I was rarely focused on what I was doing. Instead, I was thinking about the next thing I had to do. Every moment became one where I rushed through the current task while planning the successive one, so I could squeeze as much into that day as possible. In short, my ability to be present had utterly degraded. My mind was wholly decoupled from my body. Wherever I was, I wasn’t truly there.

Second, all that dashing about continued to feed a narrative of danger back to my brain. Hurrying and worrying often go hand-in-hand subconsciously. If you spend most of your time hypervigilant, you aren’t doing yourself any favors by injecting pace where it’s unwarranted. Engaging in high-intensity interval training as exercise is one thing. Scarfing down a meal while trying to type an email is another. In the former case, deliberate stress on the body can lead to growth. In the latter, it more likely results in neurosis.

This leads me to our other speed-related tendency that exacerbates the problem. In our quest for increased tempo, we attempt to tap into a perceived ability largely unavailable to pre-digital revolution generations—multitasking. Now we can seemingly try to work on everything, everywhere, all at once, at breakneck speed. Perhaps we can double or triple our productivity operating in this manner.

But multitasking is a myth. At least for now, the human brain can’t truly pay attention to various items simultaneously. What feels like doing two things at once is actually quickly switching back and forth between them. The outcome is a lack of focus on either and less efficient than if you had just worked on one.

All of this adds up to a scenario whereby many of us essentially waste much of our time busy doing nothing. We assure ourselves we are being productive when, in reality, we are simply spinning our wheels. Multitasking at speed is the opposite of what it’s purported to be. We believe it’s industrious and efficient, but it’s lazy and ineffective. Done for long enough, it’s also destructive. Getting burned out is real, and we shouldn’t be surprised by it. If you turned every system on full blast and stomped on the accelerator every time you got in your car, you wouldn’t be shocked by the celerity at which it eventually broke down.

For those of us that spent time in the military, we’d be wise to choose a different path by remembering another axiom that has application outside of weapons and tactics—slow is smooth, smooth is fast. By throttling back and giving something our undivided attention, we can achieve a flow state. That’s where the true magic happens.

For all the talk around trendy longevity hacks, I think the most commonly overlooked one is simply slowing down in ordinary moments. The challenge becomes bringing this deliberate pace and singular focus back into practice. Because, as I said, many of us now act the opposite way habitually.

As a starting point, I suggest noticing how often you try to multitask throughout the day and making a concerted effort to stop. Don’t keep numerous apps and tabs open on your computer. Don’t look at your phone while eating or sitting on the toilet. Don’t try to read an email while on a Zoom call. Give whatever you are engaged in your undivided attention.

Then take your time with that thing. Become aware of when you are accelerating for no reason. Walk slower. Breathe. Sit down for a meal without distractions, be present, and enjoy it. Focus on the food itself and be engaged in that moment. Bring your mind back into your body.

Remember, it’s the tortoise that won the race. In the immortal words of Adam, Mike D, and Ad-Rock, “Let it flow. Let yourself go. Slow and low, that is the tempo.”

Level up your mental health:

• Subscribe to the RARE SENSE Substack.

• Subscribe to the RARE SENSE podcast on any major streaming platform and leave a five-star review if you love it.

• Subscribe to the RARE SENSE YouTube channel.

• Take the RARE SENSE Challenge.

• Connect with me on all major social media platforms @thischrisirwin.

• Invite me to speak about mind fitness to your organization by filling out the RARE SENSE contact form.

You can also support my work by purchasing RARE SENSE gear or sharing my content with others.

DISCLAIMER: RARE SENSE content is not medical advice. Nor does it represent the official position or opinions of any other organization or person. If you require diagnosis or treatment for a mental or physical issue or illness, please seek it from a licensed professional.