Category: Slow Lifestyle

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Slow Lifestyle

Yes, You Do Have Time

The people demand audiobooks.

I’ll be honest, I have never been able to get into audiobooks. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started listening to an audiobook sample and thought, “wow, I don’t feel like listening to this person talking for hours.” The narrator is always distracting to me. Or straight-up annoying. Or they just really shouldn’t be trying to change their voice when they do dialogue from a character of the opposite gender. *shudders.* Why are people so bad at that?

But everybody listens to audiobooks these days. I kind of envy people who enjoy them, actually. Imagine how much I could knock off my TBR if I could listen to books while I worked. I could get all caught up and stay on top of all the new releases while I did chores, hustled around town, worked out, practiced art….

People ask me sometimes if any of my books are audiobooks. Sorry, no. Budget. And the fact that I can’t do it myself because I’m unbelievably bad at reading out loud. But why do people want audiobooks so badly anyway?

Because, they claim, they don’t have time to read.

Finding Time

Does that sound familiar? From an early age, we were all trained to keep busy. The busier the better. You’ve got to get stuff done—and as early as possible. Load up that calendar. Time-block your whole day. Work as many hours as you can, and make sure you still go out with your friends at least once a week. And stay on top of stuff at home, too. But, you’ve also got to stay consistent at the gym. And social media. And all your friends’ social media. Oh, and keep up on the news.

All that aside, you probably actually do have the time. We’ll take my books for an example. Every chapter is around 5,000 words long. That’s a little longer than a lot of genre-fiction readers might be used to, but how long does it take to read 5,000 words?

For most people, less than 30 minutes.

And you don’t even have to do it all in one sitting. Scene breaks and bookmarks are a thing. If you get started and then suddenly remember you have to check you email right now you can stick a random semi-flat object between the pages and come back to it. But do you really need to check your email right now?

Or is that the siren song of keeping busy? Is that the ceaseless prodding of your inner slavedriver saying, “How dare you sit there with a book in your hands for any amount of time?! You’re going to miss out and fall behind on LITERALLY EVERYTHING!”

If you don’t have 30 minutes, set a timer and read for 15. Half a chapter. You will still finish the book if you keep reading it that way. You need to take 15 minutes and put the phone down. Stop worrying about the laundry. That email can wait. You need to stop for just 15 minutes and read a book. It’s important.

Reading is Hard

I don’t have fond memories of reading as a kid. I have ADHD to the extent that looking at words on a page for any amount of time can cause me low-grade psychological distress. But for some reason, reading has become a major part of my life. Books have opened new worlds and given me room to dream and explore. They’ve deepened my faith, awakened new interests, and changed the way I see and understand myself and the rest of the world.

Reading is worth the trouble. And it’s certainly worth the time.

Where to Start

So, maybe start with 15 minutes. And when the timer goes off, look up and see how nothing has collapsed or exploded while you were away. The kids are still playing. The pizza’s still in the oven, and should stay there for another ten minutes or so. Check Instagram, if you want. Oh, look, a dumb argument has begun in the comment section. Maybe you should finish that chapter.

So, when do you find that 15+ minutes to yourself every day? Maybe it won’t be every day. Maybe some days you’ll be too distracted to even sit down. Hopefully that’s not a normal day for you, but it’s bound to happen now and then. Maybe some days you won’t be in the mood for it—and that’s perfectly fine. But if you really do want to read, you can get that 15 minutes.

You can probably even get a full 30.

Try reading in the evenings after you log off and put away your screens for the day. You do that right? Turn off the screens at least an hour before bed? I sure don’t. But that would be the perfect time to pick up a book and stop being busy for the day. Nobody should have to do anything after supper. I don’t think it should be legal to expect anyone to do anything after supper or before 9 am, but whatever.

You do have the time. You don’t need to get the audiobook just to justify reading to yourself or other people—just so you can make sure you’re staying productive while consuming literature. You know what’s really productive?

Relearning to do one thing at a time.

Thanks for Reading

Well…look at that.

You read this whole post. Not sure how much it helped. Maybe it was just a rant. But I hope you can give yourself some time today or tomorrow to shut out the noise for even just a little while. You really need some peace and quiet in your life. Please remember to breathe and drink water. Eat food. Go outside.

And read books.

P. S. Need a book rec? I’ve got a standalone novel where that chapters are actually a bit shorter than in the Dronefall Series. The Boy Who Called the Foxes is a quiet atmospheric story set in a small lake town. It follows a guy who returns home from Chicago post-college and rediscovers himself through family, music and the beauty of nature in autumn. Perfect read for a quiet rainy day. It’s available in ebook and paperback, but not audio.

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Slow Lifestyle

My Easy Unplugged Morning and Evening Routine

Can I talk about staring out windows for a second?

I’m lucky to have a window over my desk where I can stare out at the woods and down at the little alcove of my yard I’m slowly transforming into a Japanese garden. I also get a decent view of the sky, considering I do live in the woods.

I spend a lot of time staring out this window when my mind is drifting away from my work. But the best time to stare out the window is in the morning, before my brain starts working or in the evening when it starts to coast. In fact, on an ideal day, staring out the window is part of my daily routine.

It beats staring at my phone.

A phone-free routine

But here’s the thing, if you want to create a screenless non-scrolling morning or evening routine for yourself, you have to replace the old habits with new habits. Maybe you find yourself too wound-up to stare out the window for very long. I get it. Not everybody can be that chilled-out every day. So, you’ve got to give yourself a list of things you need to do before you log on for the day and after you log off for the night.

It’s just a lot easier to not do what you’re trying not to do when you have something else to do instead. So, here’ how you might want to replace the morning and evening doom-scroll.

Evening

I’m starting with the evening routine because it’s always best to prep for a good morning the night before. Also, since I’m assuming you’re reading this post more or less during the day, while you’re still awake, you’ll be able to implement the evening routine sooner anyway.

Remember, everybody’s life and needs are different, so you’ll want to customize these ideas to fit your own.

Log off after supper

Or even when you sit down to supper. This is the beginning of your evening routine. From now on you’re saying no to social media commentary on current events, blue light and endless scrolling. You now get to be fully present for the final hours of the day.

Go outside after supper

 Take a walk around the neighborhood, play with your dog, work in your garden. Go for a jog or a bike ride if you’re one of those people. Get out and enjoy golden hour. Stick around for the sunset if it looks like it’s going to be a good show.

Read and or journal

Once you’re back inside for the night, settle in with your Sleepytime tea or whatever and do some reading. The Bible or your daily devotional are good options. Just make sure you don’t cram or try to play catch-up in the evenings if you’re behind on some reading plan. You could do mornings and evenings if you’re falling behind, just don’t read for hours when you’re supposed to be winding down. You might also want to journal or read some fiction if you like those things.

Make tomorrow’s to-do list

You know you’re going to start thinking of all the things you didn’t get done today anyway, so you might as well note down what you’d like to start on tomorrow. Remember, you’re probably only going to get half of it done, but that’s tomorrow’s business. Just write it down and we’ll deal with all that in the morning.

Brush teeth, wash face, go to bed

Notice I’m not advocating filling a tub with flower petals and bath bombs, lighting candles, putting on music and doing a face-mask every night. I know these super-extra self-care ‘routines’ are popular on Pinterest, but get real. You do not have the energy and time to do that every single night. And you probably shouldn’t be doing face-masks every day. And that’s a lot of bath-bombs.

Just give yourself time to do essential hygiene before bed. Take your make-up off. Brush and floss your teeth. You know what you need to do to make sure you go to bed feeling like you take care of yourself and wake up feeling refreshed. Just do that. You can do all that other stuff some nights, but it does not need to be part of your routine.

Morning

I hate mornings. Maybe that’s why I have a very strong routine for when I wake up compared to pretty much any other time of day. My brain is not working. It needs to be able to get through the first hour or so of the day on autopilot.

Maybe you’re a little more energetic, and once again, do this your way. If you can pop out of bed at five in the morning and go for a five-mile jog before breakfast, great. But here are my suggestions if you’d rather ease into the day a little slower.

Skincare

This really helps me wake up. My morning skincare if just cleansing and moisturizing, so it doesn’t take long, but the hot and cold water on my face really clears up the grogginess. I also wake up with a headache most of the time, and it somehow takes the edge off of that a bit too. A lot of people shower in the morning, which would probably be even better, but somehow I never got into showering at a particular time of day. It’s more just whenever I think I’m done sweating or digging in the mud for a while.

Tea or coffee

Immediately after my skincare routine, I’m staggering into the kitchen seeking hot black tea. Once it’s steeped, I usually take it to my desk and drink it slowly while staring out the window. Your morning tea or coffee time could also be a good time to touch base with whoever you live with and see what plans they have for the day. I often also review and revise my to-do list at this time.

Breakfast

Some people skip breakfast. Some make whole meal of it. I’m not going to tell you what’s best, I don’t know. It probably depends. Most of the time, it’s probably best to eat something to balance your blood sugar after waking up. It’s usually fairly light for me. Scrambled eggs. Cheerios. Berries.

Go outside

My favorite thing to do after breakfast, if I don’t have to go somewhere immediately is get outside. I like to get gardening and yardwork done in the morning. There’s nothing like outdoor air to finally get you ready to get things done for the day. And if you can do some actual physical work that makes a difference, it can be very invigorating. If you’re more contemplative in the morning, going for a walk or even sitting on your porch or balcony might serve you well enough.

Then You May Log On

And only then. Wait until you’ve gone through your whole morning routine before picking up your phone and checking anything. Keep your morning routine simple and natural. Make it something you can do without a lot of decision-making or working around obstacles. You won’t even be tempted to check your phone.

You may now return to the frenzy of the online world on your own terms. You’ve set your own mood and pace for the day. You know what you need to get done. You’ve also proved to yourself you don’t need to pick up your phone every five minutes. You’re in control of your own time and ready for a great day.

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