slow down

If you think you’re too busy to read this article, then perhaps you should take the time to read it anyway! For quite some time, I too was working on about 15 different things at once, with a thousand things on my mind. And, as a consequence, my mind was glued on work 24 hours a day.

Projects seemed to be blurring into one another; I always seemed to be either setting off on a trip, or on my way home from one. I was simply too preoccupied, too busy even to write things down, I conned myself into thinking I would be able to remember everything. Only one thing was for sure, I knew I wanted to get somewhere, no matter the price I could end up having to pay.

Burnout
Eventually one of my closest friends decided things had gone too far and brought my attention to the risk of burnout; a terrifying phenomenon where young business people like myself run the risk of expiring as a result of exhaustion and a sheer work overload.

I remember reading an article about ‘burnout’ a few months earlier that focused on young e-commerce contractors in the UK. The article depicted a new generation of hardworking young people living off cappuccinos out of polystyrene cups and takeaways gulped down in front of their computer screens. With a typical workweek of around 70-90 hours, the computer screen had become their only lifeline.

These people were driven by the goal of earning a lot of money quickly, spurred by the feeling that it is simply now or never. They were getting no more than four hours sleep a night, often on an office sofa to avoid wasting any time because the World Wide Web never sleeps. But tragically, this so-called fast track to the top led to an untimely death for some.

Take your Time
Time can be taken for granted; sometimes it’s relied upon as the only constant. Just how you manage it is another matter.

As part of a brainstorming session for future concepts for wellbeing here at Kjaer Global, one of my researchers brought in a special supplement from the UK press. It contained over 80 pages of excellent advice on how to ‘take your time’.

When we facilitate a brainstorming session the most essential ingredient is time. The time to listen, time to express yourself and time to formulate ideas. If you do not give new thoughts a chance, how can you then judge whether it’s a good or a bad idea?

Most things follow a natural growth process. Give the seed of a new thought the best possible chance by planting it in a nurturing environment in the greenhouse. If you sow and then try to speed up the natural growth process, you run the risk of ruining it.

Our workshop resulted in a key list of inspiring advice on how to make the most of our valuable time.

Yourself

  • Think before you speak
  • Speak slowly
  • Listen to others
  • Sit quietly and pretend you are a factory, manufacturing time
  • Only take responsibility for things you can fully control
  • Remind yourself to take a leisurely bath instead of a hurried shower
  • Treat yourself to long novels, rather than magazines
  • On special occasions, treat yourself to your favourite ‘waste of time’
  • Swim at a leisurely pace, it’s better for your mind, body and soul
  • Daydream


Your family

  • Make a list of things to do, then attempt to cut it by 50%
  • Rather than always procrastinating, get unpleasant tasks out of the way first
  • Don’t plan everything, do something spontaneous
  • Cut out annoying junk mail; put a sign on your mailbox
  • Tidy up and throw things out you don’t need


Your friends

  • Meet your friends one at a time on occasion, large groups don’t foster close friendships
  • Write letters and postcards once in a while
  • Leave a party if you are bored


Work

  • Love your job or try something new
  • Think about a lot of things, but only do one at a time
  • Always take a lunch break
  • Work late if necessary, but don’t take your work home
  • Only participate in key meetings
  • Turn off your mobile phone once in a while


Food

  • Buy in bulk once a month
  • Top up with fresh quality food locally at your convenience
  • Sit down and eat your breakfast
  • Try not to eat on the run
  • When you cook a nice dish, make some extra for a treat later
  • Chew your food properly before swallowing


In traffic

  • Be 30 minutes too late in this life, rather than 30 years too early for the next
  • Try to avoid the rush hour
  • Take the scenic route
  • Enjoy a bike ride when possible
  • Walk more


Shopping

  • Avoid busy shopping centres at the weekend
  • Buy presents and cards when you see them, don’t panic buy at the last minute
  • Use direct debit


General

  • Give things you haven’t used in the last couple of years to a second-hand store
  • Always leave your household keys in the same place
  • Walk up the stairs if a slow lift frustrates you
  • Buy yourself a set of decent screwdrivers instead of using a knife
  • Book your flights over the internet
  • Say no once in a while


Anne Lise Kjaer
December 24, 2000

Time can be taken for granted; sometimes it’s relied upon as the only constant. Just how you manage it is another matter. Anne Lise Kjaer, 2000

Slow down or face a burnout

Think before you speak and learn to say no once in a while

Don’t plan everything, do something spontaneous