I have a bad habit of rushing through a lot of tasks, especially ones I’d rather avoid. It wasn’t until earlier this year that I realized this was a bad idea and learned to slow down. Here are some things that made me slow down and some things I’ve discovered since then.
Everyone has a limited amount of time on this Earth. Some have more than others, but once my time is up, that’s it. Every moment is precious and if I’m wishing I could fast forward to a future moment I think I’d enjoy more than the present moment, then I’m wishing away a part of my life that I’ll never get back. Even when that future moment arrives, it may not be as enjoyable as I thought it would be, especially if I’ve built up anticipation and importance in my mind for it. What I’ve tried to do instead is appreciate that I’m alive and get to do things even if they’re not the most exciting or enjoyable things to me. Changing my perspective is more important than changing my situation; if the situation is truly terrible, then I’ll work to change it, but most of the time a different perspective does the trick.
Additionally, the quality of whatever I’m doing suffers when I rush. Whether I’m doing something for the first time or the thousandth time, I always do better when I take my time. Slowing my breathing helps me relax, focus, and make sure I get the job done right. As I get better at a given task, I may be able to spend less time on it and speed up the process compared to when I first started it. However, even with those tasks, I make sure I do them at a pace that keeps the quality high and minimizes the risk of making mistakes. This also helps in situations where I have less time to finish a task since it takes less time to do something right than to mess it up and have to do it two or more times.
Whenever I catch myself rushing, I remind myself to take a breath and slow down. I don’t always catch myself but I’ve gotten better at it over time. Now it’s much easier for me to accept each moment as it is rather than try to rush through it. This makes me feel like I have more time in the day and also makes me feel free instead of feeling burdened. Further, I think it helps me sleep better at night because I don’t have negative thoughts about the day weighing on my mind. These are some of the benefits I’ve found by slowing down and taking my time, and if you also have a habit of rushing, I highly recommend trying this for yourself.