modern technology
how blessed are we to have the
convenience of gadgets and appliances to
make our lives a little bit easier
we can do things faster
communicate better so that in our spare
time we can sit around and binge watch
our favorite shows
no wait that can't be right
i have to admit it is really nice to
have the convenience of technology in
our everyday lives while it feels like
we've increased our efficiency i wonder
if we have actually gotten more time
back
and if so how are we spending that time
and don't get me wrong i'm all for
progress
self-driving cars groceries delivered
right to our doors
ordering whatever we want whenever we
want with a touch of a button
it's almost like
magic
how amazing that technology can
accommodate those who need that extra
help
but i've always wondered if i truly need
that much convenience in my life
and am i willing to work more to afford
that life of luxury and comfort
i know i'm grateful to even have this
choice but what i'm trying to say is
that there are some things in life that
just cannot be rushed
and sometimes the technology that's
supposed to be helping our lives
feels like it's taken away something
much more valuable from us
this is why the slow living movement
really opened my eyes
i realized that my idea of luxury isn't
to live a comfortable life where things
are just done for me i want to be fully
present for every moment
even if it takes more time and effort
because imagine how dull and meaningless
life would be if we could just outsource
everything
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so here are some slow living habits that
i practice that might be more
inefficient but provide more value and
meaning into my life
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for me i look forward to my weekly trip
to the farmer's market
it's not about picking out the produce
for the week or getting good teals on
flowers but it's about the experience of
it all
seeing artists and their craft
listening to all the interesting stories
being inspired by how passionate people
are about their plants banana bread
while it's not the most efficient way of
doing groceries
it's all about the experience
and that to me counts for something
instead of rushing through the things
that we must do like our daily chores
errands we have to run
our routines i hope that we never forget
to enjoy the experience because these
simple moments in between the big ones
are what make up majority of our days
i have to admit
i used to be the person who would speed
up the audio on my audiobook
i thought that reading meant finishing
the book from front to back
then i just ended up with a long list of
books i would completely forget the
moment i finished it
i mean we all seek instant gratification
and i'm also guilty of this
but no matter how fast i want to jump to
the conclusion i learned that some
things take time for us to fully
understand
to grasp the meaning and for us to grow
creating a piece of art a sincere
conversation with a friend
learning something new healing from a
past
this is something we simply cannot press
fast forward on
sometimes it's not even about the ending
but the process itself
so i decided it's better to dive deep
while i can
and give myself all the time i need
without even thinking about the finish
line
i completely understand that efficiency
is crucial for busy people
but solely depending on it can sometimes
take the meaning out of the things that
we do
i used to enjoy looking for the right
gift for the person that i loved and
seeing their face light up with joy
but life got busy
so it was much easier just to buy a gift
than to take the time to make something
or write a heartfelt letter
that's when the idea of ordering
something online and having it delivered
right to their door sounded like a great
idea
but it never had the same sentiment
and when did relationships get so
transactional
i mean was i too busy for the people
that i loved and if so what was i
valuing more
something that takes time effort and
heart cannot be replicated or
substituted and i decided i never want
to be too busy to give a piece of myself
to the people that i love
even with all the technological
advancements the greatest gifts that we
can still give to each other is our time
attention and our love
when living a fast-paced life relaxing
feels like coming to a sudden stop on a
running treadmill
with that free time we could be working
on our next project
planning our next move or catch up on
whatever we're falling behind on
but i've always wondered
how long is that sustainable for until
we hit a wall and feel burnout
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taking the time to relax and rest cannot
be rushed
it's not a sign of weakness nor laziness
but vital for our well-being
we can schedule a spa day listen to a
meditation app buy all the tools to help
us relax
but if we cannot learn to slow down our
minds and give ourselves some breathing
space
there'd be no point of just going
through the motion
my favorite way to relax is reading my
book on my balcony taking the time to do
my nightly skincare routine
watching my favorite youtube videos
while doing my dishes
or scheduling a long nap on a random
sunday
it doesn't take much but it's more about
giving myself the permission to take the
time to truly relax and recharge
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any machine can probably perform a task
more accurately and efficiently than we
can
but is perfectionism really the ultimate
goal
also if we don't make any mistakes how
would we ever grow and mold into the
better version of ourselves
i decided that i want my efforts to go
into trying and becoming better along
the way
because i've always defined myself by my
progress more than my accomplishments
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i feel like the less i depend on
technology
the more that i depend on myself
before gps how did i ever travel
before having all the recipes at my
fingertips how did i ever cook
before i had my phone
how did i do anything
sure it's nice to have the help
sometimes
but i noticed that while technology can
add comfort and luxury into our lives it
cannot truly replace the fundamental
things in life
society might think that i'm being
inefficient or that i'm not keeping up
with the modern times
but to me
there are things in life worth taking
time for
there's more to life than just being
efficient and getting things done
there's more to me
than just being a productive machine
my whole life i've been rushing from one
task to the next but i've ended up
exactly where i'm supposed to be
not a single day ahead or a single day
behind
i don't care about finishing 50 books at
the end of the year or seeing how much i
can check off in my to-do list in a day
because in the bigger picture
what value does that really bring into
my life
instead
i want to be able to check in with
myself at the end of the day know that i
still find purpose in the work that i do
i want to know that i helped someone or
i felt inspired in some way
and if all fails that i at least had
some fun along the way
these are the values i want to live my
life by
and sometimes it requires me to take the
longer path
and that's okay