Spring is here. The snow is melting and there is a busyness about town, almost as if folks are both surprised by the change in the season and in a hurry to get to the warmer days of summer.
We often take this approach in our work. Every morning we are surprised to see the number of emails in our inbox and the never-ending to-do list and then we rush towards a future that we convince ourselves will be better.
This leads to incredible disappointment as we find ourselves yet again, eating lunch hunched over reports, staying late, taking work home to get one more thing done, stressing about the lack of time, and yearning for that future work style where there is time and space to breathe easy.
Who hasn’t said, as soon as this quarter is over, as soon as this report is done, as soon as these meetings wrap up, it will be different?
There’s a fair amount of evidence and talking about the evidence that slowing down is better for productivity. Framing slowing down around productivity may be just what some of us need to make this shift.
But what about the case for slowing down, for the sake of slowing down?
What if we took a full lunch break, evenings, and weekends, not just to come back more refreshed and able to work better, but because it feels good, settles our nervous systems, and nourishes our body and soul? Perhaps we would then have the space and time to connect with our best selves – the selves where we make wise decisions, are generous, and genuinely connect with people, ideas, and our own values and ethics.
Slowing down with intent and awareness can be calming, can give us time to respond rather than react, and can allow for us to be mindful in developing and practicing ethical leadership.
I invite us to consider slowing down, not for an increase in productivity, as measured in tangible outputs (although this will most likely happen), but for an increase in our abilities to be compassionate, engaged, aware, and thoughtful. To have time to deeply engage with the world around us, in and outside of work, with a view that supports and acts on equity, diversity, inclusion, reconciliation, and decolonization. To be courageous leaders.
And yes, it will most likely lead to more productivity – but as the result not the reason to slow down.
Photo by Jo Heubeck & Domi Pfenninger on Unsplash