Getting Things Done - GTD
Choose Slower Pastimes to Be More Productive
AUTHOR: Francisco Sáez
“Gulping down a glass of wine is a stupidity.” ~ Uwe Kliemt, musician.
I have always supported the idea that personal productivity has nothing to do with working fast, something that many people, especially in the business world, don’t agree with. I’m totally against the cult of speed that rules our society, and years ago I chose to enjoying life instead of chasing after it, whether people like it or not.
Carl Honoré goes further in his book In Praise of Slowness and ensures that a slowing life is not only pleasant but it can also be more productive. It turns out that when we decrease our rhythm of life we are capable of thinking more and we can concentrate better, make better decisions, and commit less errors. We are more effective, and we are definitely happier.
These reasons should be more than enough for you to consider enjoying the next holidays with slower pastimes. Leisure is a more serious matter than you think. What you do in your spare time finishes giving shape and meaning to your life.
Fortunately, it seems that there is an increasing nostalgia of that era in which doing things properly was a real pleasure and much more important than doing them quickly. Hobbies like gardening, reading, painting, cooking, manual jobs, etc., are back in fashion and there are groups of people everywhere that promote these kind of activities.
For example, there are people that gather to knit in their free time, as an antidote to stress and rush of modern life. Low-tech hobbies help us to slow down and they have been proven to be very therapeutic. It is funny that in a world in which technology prevails, our interest towards handmade objects is more intense than ever.
I like to think that GTD forms part, almost unwillingly, of the Slow Movement philosophy that Carl Honoré defends. In GTD is never spoken of rush or emergencies. It is about knowing our commitments, clarifying them and making decisions about them. In a humanized way and trying to make sense of them, in balance with all our areas of responsibility.
When you go on holidays this summer, remember to spend time doing those things that make life be a pleasure, such as enjoying a good meal, a good conversation, exercising, socialising, reading, etc. But slowly, take as much time as you need.
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