Depending on who you talk to, “slow living” will have varying definitions.

The definition will also change as we enter different chapters of our lives.

When I was young my definition of slow living was Summer days spent playing in the woods with all the kids from the neighborhood. 

We’d build makeshift tree forts, find old bottles in the woods and fill them with “spices” and pick plants that would become the roof for our tree forts. 

But now as an adult and a business owner, slow living looks different. It’s not always easy, it’s a constant work in progress, and I’ve found that there is no one “right way” to do it. 

While there isn’t a perfect way to achieve slow living, there are certainly a few tips to help you work towards that goal while also running your business.

SLOW LIVING AS A HABIT

In 2020, life slowed down in a way most of us never thought possible. As a result, many people got a taste for a different way of living.

Google began researching search trends and found a 4X increase in views of videos that mention “slow living” in the title in 2020 compared to 2019. Perhaps you found yourself searching for ways to be more “mindful,” “sustainable,” and “slow.”

Now before we go any further, let’s clear something up. “Living slow” is not necessarily synonymous with a curated country aesthetic, linen clothing, and minimalism. 

I recently finished a book: “Slow: Simple Living for a Frantic World,” which really looks at the topic on a deeper level- not just the trendy aspects.

It’s also not as simple as waking up one day and turning on a switch to start living differently. Slow living is a habit. It takes time to develop habits and relearn patterns in our daily lives. We can’t expect perfection from ourselves during this relearning process. It’s okay to take baby steps and find what is comfortable for you.

After all, slow living isn’t just about slowing down, it’s about being intentional with our choices, purchases, and time. It’s about doing and having less where applicable in order to increase the space (physically and mentally) to be able to slow down.

Ways To Develop Your Slow Living Habit:

Here are a few ways you can start to implement daily habits to ultimately live a slower life:

• Take advantage of your local library, we can grow just as much from the books we borrow as the books we own.

• Make a point to unplug from your devices, not just for energy saving purposes (though you know I’m a huge advocate for that), but simply to be present in your own life.

• Get outdoors when possible. Even if it’s to take your dog for a walk or to pick up the mail from the box, breathe in the fresh air and pause for a few seconds from what’s next on your to-do list.

• Turn routines into rituals. Routines should bring us peace of mind and balance in our day…if your current routines are adding more stress see where things could be tweaked. What could you add or take away from your routine that would bring you greater joy?

• Declutter a space. When our physical environment feels cluttered, so does our mental state. Choosing even a small area to work through and clear will help us breathe easier, especially for those of us who work from home.  Remember, you can always donate items to someone else who would benefit or get joy from it!
  

SLOW LIVING BUSINESS PRACTICES: Automated Systems

Now you might be thinking:

“I can’t possibly live slow while working for myself.”

“My days are so full and my to-do list is never ending, there’s no way I could do that.”

“Slow living is the dream but it’s not a reality for most people.”

And I hear you. Loud and clear. It’s not easy to live slowly while also trying to run a successful business. In fact, owning your own business means your life is probably more hectic than most.

But the good thing? You are your own boss which means you have freedom in how you structure your days, your weeks, your projects, and above all else…your systems.

What kind of systems exist in your business?

What is your process for onboarding new clients? What about a system for organizing finances/documents? For creating and scheduling content? For collecting testimonials?

Having a process or a system in place for repetitive tasks in your business is the biggest step you can take to simplifying what is on your plate (I.E making more time for slow living).

Think about the tasks you do over and over again. Now consider how much time these tasks take you to do manually? Could that time be better spent in or outside of your business?

“The cost of a thing is the amount of life which will be required to be exchanged for it” Henry David Thoreau

Studies have show that implementing automated systems into your business can have multiple benefits:

• Higher production rates: When you’re about to stop focusing on the repetitive task you can turn your attention to new product/service development. You can work to improve your current client experience and grow your business.

• High productivity: Nobody likes boring tasks. When we are manually completing the same tasks again and again we start to slow down (and not in a good way). We can drastically increase our productivity when we free up our time to accomplish other important tasks.

• Greater efficiency: Automation reduces or eliminates the time, effort and cost (time is money) it takes to complete manual tasks successfully. It also helps reduce the chance or error that are more leily when we fall into robotic routines.

One of my favorite (and most recommended) systems in your business is a CRM (Client Relationship Management) tool. I’ve personally used Dubsado and Honeybook as my CRM before.

These systems keep all of your client communication and project details in one place. With both Dubsado and Honey Book you can automate messages that go to your clients.. You can also automate contracts, invoicing, and so much more to keep your clients moving through your pipeline. 

It’s important to note here that automating your systems simply makes the process smoother- you can use these stored messages and documents as templates. Templates can be customized with personal touches to fit each unique client!

These systems take more setup in the beginning, but save you from doing all of the manual work over and over again with each new project. As far as setting up the technical aspects of these tools, both CRM’s have experts they recommend who can help you get started.

You can find links to try out Dubsado or Honeybook on my resources page. You’ll also find links to my other favorite tools and systems for your business!

The Power of Your Website

Now we know your website is a powerful tool in your business. But did you know your website can also help you achieve your goal to live slower?

How?

By communicating all of the necessary information up front. 

Think about it, how much time would it save you to have all of the important information clearly defined on your website? Things like: What you do, who you do it for, your process, and any FAQ’s.

You can save time for yourself and your prospective clients by choosing clarity over cleverness in your website messaging and design. This will also help your discovery calls run smoother and allow you more time to dive into the specific needs of that prospective client.

Having your scheduler and contact form linked directly to your CRM will also save you time and make tracking leads that much more seamless.

SLOW LIVING THROUGH INTENTIONAL TIME

As Leo Babauta explains it: “Simplicity boils down to two things: identify the essential, eliminate the rest.” 

If you’re feeling pulled to live a slower life but also feel bogged down by the lack of time in your day…here is your chance to reassess.

There are always going to be non-negotiables on our daily/weekly to-do lists. But as a society we tend to glorify busy-ness. Worse yet, we equate busy-ness to productivity.

Within your busy day, it’s time to start picking out what your negotiable to-do’s are. Focus instead on the essentials and rearrange the rest (psst…your to-list will always be there).

A huge secret to slow living is prioritizing your time. Others who live slowly don’t have a magic ability to accomplish everything. They simply know when to work, when to rest, and what to let go of.

The desire to live slowly has led to more and more people viewing time as a commodity, most of us are willing to pay for products and services that free up their time. Actually buying our time back in this fast-paced world.

With more time on our plates we open up space for rest, for new experiences, for time with loved ones, and for being truly present without the constant burden of work.

Intentional Time In Your Business

When was the last time you took a real break from work?

Not necessarily a whole vacation but even just a day where you weren’t connected to your business at all?

As entrepreneurs, we put our heart and whole being into our business that we’ve built from the ground up. We care deeply about our clients and strive to be our very best selves while working. We expect so much from ourselves and feel a lot of guilt when we take time away from work.

There’s so much pressure to “hussle” and “scale” that we feel the need to be focused on the business even during our downtime.

How often have you finished work for the day and found yourself opening up your business email after dinner and late into the evening? Or scrolling through instagram working to engage with your followers after working hours?

It’s hard to step away, I know.

The days you feel like you’re dragging and working at a snail’s pace are your reminders that you need a true break. A reminder that you need to take some time to slow down and rest.

We are not robots. We are not machines who can continue to function at peak productivity 24/7.

No, we’re more like plants. We need sunshine and nourishment to grow strong. We need care, rest, and the ability to go at our own pace. Only then can we bloom.

Embracing time off in your business allows you to show up fully when you are working on or in your business.

Here’s my challenge to you:

Take a full day to be present in your life, no opening emails, no planning content, no sneaking in an hour in the morning to work on your latest client project, no endless scrolling on instagram. Take a full day to step away from your business and enjoy some much needed slowness.

This challenge will take practice. if you catch yourself clicking over to your email without thinking, don’t beat yourself up…just put the phone down and continue on. You’ve got this!

LEARNING TO LIVE SLOW

Slow living is not something that you’ll accomplish overnight. It will be a lifelong journey of practice, habit building, and intentional decision making.

Some seasons of life will be harder to find slowness in, especially with the overwhelm that comes with running a business.  But that doesn’t make it impossible. 

Even the small intentional decisions will add up over time.

Slow living is not something to perfect. It’s not about achieving a certain ascetic. It’s all about creating space and freeing up time where possible.

My best advice for learning to live slowly?

• Make a few internal choices a day to be present, even amidst the chaos. Unplug, breath fresh air, declutter where you can.

• Automate and create repeatable systems in your business. Simplify your tasks and manage your clients in a way that frees up more time.

• Prioritize your time and learn to take rear breaks from work. Start by making a list of your negotiable and nonnegotiable tasks so you can enjoy guilt-free rest from work.

Disclaimer: Just a heads up, this post contains an affiliate link! If you choose to make a purchase through the link, Artisan Kind will receive a small commission. Thank you so much!