20 ways to slow down

Continuing in our series on rest, our Year 12 CRU Prefect, Louis Allen, spoke during Years 10-12 chapel on the topic of slowness. Jesus accomplished a lot in his three years of ministry (his legacy lives on 2000 years later.) Yet, when looking at the cadence of Jesus, he never appeared to be rushed. He was present with people. He partied. He said ‘no’ to some things so he could say ‘yes’ to the important things. He retreated from crowds sometimes, taking the opportunity for silence and solitude when required.

Borrowing from the “Slowing” chapter of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer, Louis offered 20 practical suggestions to help readers decelerate their lives and cultivate a more intentional, present, and spiritually grounded existence.

Here are the 20 suggestions:

1. Drive the speed limit
2. Get into the slow lane
3. Come to a full stop at stop signs
4. Don’t text and drive
5. Show up ten minutes early for an appointment, sans phone
6. Get in the longest checkout line at the grocery store
7. Turn your smartphone into a dumbphone
8. Parent your phone: put it to bed before you and make it sleep in
9. Keep your phone off until after your morning quiet time
10. Set times for email and social media; don’t check them randomly
11. Take a regular day off each week
12. Take up journaling
13. Experiment with mindfulness and meditation
14. If you can, take long vacations
15. Cook your own food and eat in
16. Eat slower
17. Single-task
18. Walk slower
19. Take a regular day each month for silence and solitude
20. Take up a hobby just for the love of it

Is there anything you could implement to slow down?