New Years ReSLOWlutions…

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Well hello and welcome to a new year and a new decade. You may think it is a bit late for a New Years Resolutions blog entry. But I only came back to “work” today, as yesterday was Plough Monday.

Plough Monday

References to Plough Monday date back to the late 15th century, and was the traditional start of the English agricultural (therefore, working) year.

Plough Monday is generally the first Monday after Twelfth Day (Epiphany), 6th January. So, those of you that started work before this day, shame on you! Call yourself an Idler or a follower of Slow?

The day traditionally saw the resumption of work after the Christmas period. A plough was often hauled from house to house in a procession, collecting money. This was often accompanied by musicians, an old woman or a boy dressed as an old woman, called the “Bessie”, and a man in the role of the “fool”. There would be “goose dancing” and considerable drinking and revelry.

The Plough Monday customs (like most cool old traditions) declined in the 19th century with the change to an industrialised society.

Resolutions the Slow Way

Did you managed to slow down your Christmas and eek it out until Epiphany? Or was it as hectic as ever and went the blink of an eye?

Have you made any New Years resolutions? It all seems to be a bit ridiculous really, as the start of each day is technically a start of a New Year, but I have to admit to quite liking the idea of New Year as a time to take stock, reflect and plan ahead. Really that was what the Winter Solstice was initially about and winter is the ideal time to sit back, reflect and plan.

So how do you do resolutions the Slow Way?

1. Be Honest

Do you really want to do it? Or are you just doing it because you think you should? If you really don’t want to do it, you won’t even manage the 1st step! So relax and enjoy yourself.

2. Resolving NOT to do Something?

Unfortunately, we live hectic and busy lives. So trying to add more to it will often mean that you won’t stick to it (the old “last in, first out” principle), so whilst resolving to do some new things, also make sure you resolve NOT to do some things as well. See here for more information on starting your own NOT to do list and click here to download your own, so you can get started straight away!

3. Limit Yourself

Doing too much, will mean you will overwhelm yourself and give in. So do one thing at a time for about 15 minutes a day (if that) and ease into it gently. You will find you will get more done and the changes will last longer than if you try and do it all at once!

Read more about how limiting yourself can make you more productive at Leo Babauta’s excellent blog “Zen Habits” here: www.zenhabits.net

4. Enjoy the Journey

There is nothing worse than aiming for some future goal and having a miserable time trying to achieve it.  Ask yourself “what is the most fun way I can achieve this goal?” (not the quickest). Life is a journey, not a destination…

COMING SOON! “Welcome to the Slow Life” Online eCourse.

Make 2010 your year for slowing down. In keeping with the spirit of New Year’s Resolutions, I am launching a 6-week “Welcome to the Slow Life” eCourse to inspire, guide and support you in your pursuit of a slower life.

Each week you will be emailed a module on a specific topic where you will be given practical tips you can incorporate into your everyday life and exercises and experiments to try out. I hope that at the end of the course you’ll have a new, deeper appreciation of the slow philosophy and a richer, more fulfilling life:

Module 1: Introduction

Module 2: Creating Space to be Slow

Module 3: Mindful Living and Appreciating the Present Moment

Module 4: Slow Wealth

Module 5: Slow Health

Module 6: Bringing it all together and planning your Slow Life

During the 6 weeks of your course, you will access to me via email to ask questions, get clarification or explore a topic in more detail.

You will also receive:

• “Welcome to the Slow Life” eBook and Audiobook
• “Deep Relaxation Primer” Audio Programme
• VERY SPECIAL BONUS: Welcome to the Slow Live – LIVE!!

Enrolment Fee: I am offering a very special rate of $49.99 ($39.99 for pre-registration) for the first run of the course (usual price will be $79.99).

I have to admit, I have got a little over excited and jumped the gun a bit with this announcement, the course isn’t quite ready yet and will be launching very soon.

So, to get a sneak peak and the chance to sign up at a reduced “pre-registration” course ($39.99) fee email me by filling out the contact form here and just put “Welcome to the Slow Life pre-registration” in the message box. I will add your name to the mail list and email you a cool “sneak peak” at the course.

Matt

PS, What are your plans to make 2010 a Slower Year than last year? Leave you comments below…

Can I?

OK, in this final part on New Years Resolutions I want to steal something from that monster of the self help movement Tony Robbins.

Now, you may be thinking that Tony and I are polar opposites, he is all up and going and striving and driving, whereas I am more chilled, relaxed and about taking it easy.

But…

The structure of what we do is very similar, even if we do it for different results. In Tony’s audio series “The Time of Your Life” he talks about CANI’s or categories of Constant And Never-ending Improvements. He noticed that if you set a goal, you may be motivated to achieve it, but once you have you often slip back into your old ways, and lose all the benefits you have gained.I am sure most of you can associate to that at some point in your life.

So what Tony suggests is to break you life down into loose categories, such as health, relationships, finances, etc (there will be, of course some cross over between each one, it is not about rigid pigeon holing, but about sorting things in a way that is easier to organise). These become your CANI’s and for each one you set goals, but just as you are about to achieve that goal you set a new one and then a new, so you are constantly moving forward or improving. Make sense?

Well, I am not sure about the goal setting thing, it all seems a bit future facing to me. Which is great, but the problem with that is you often lose sense of the NOW, of being mindful, living in and really appreciating the present moment.

Which is a lot of what Slow is about.

So I suggest CoCANE’s and/or CoIP’s!

Categories of Constant and Never-ending Exploration. Things you are interested in that you just want to keep doing and learning more (and getting better – but this is a by-product, you are doing it for the love of doing it, primarily) about.

And/or

Categories of Idle Pleasures: Things you just do because you love doing it! Make sense? So, for example, in the “relationship” category you may say one of your CoCANE’s may be “Have dinner with my family once on a month at least”, not for any reason other than your love sitting round the table with them chatting and catching up!

Incidentally, someone asked me what my New Years Resolutions were.

Well, I have 2(ish).

1) To continue to study and deconstruct my personal and professional life, simplifying and slowing down and work less (goes without saying really…) 2)

• To work on my categories of “Idle Pleasures” things I would like to do more of, that I just enjoy doing! Such as:
• Play more chess – I love chess, but I am rubbish at it, so I avoid playing it, which is stupid!
• Get out in the hills more.
• Watch more cricket – l got into cricket about 4 years ago after my good friend Steve finally explained it to me in a way that made sense. I think it is an excellent Idlers sport. The problem is it is all on Sky now and I don’t have (and refuse to get) Sky Sport. So this may be a toughy!
• Read more – just for the love of reading!

That is just a few, I have a lot more!

SC

New Years ReSLOWlutions

Hi

I have just returned from Old London Town, which I will write much more about later this week.

Firstly I just want to wrap up some final thoughts on how to create Slow Style New Years Resolutions (you shouldn’t rush these things! Have you made any yet? Given up already? Well now is an ideal time to start – or restart!)

Don’t make resolutions! What I mean is don’t define a specific goal that you want to achieve and then go hell for leather for it and give up when you don’t reach it in ithe first 2 days.

Instead think about creating a new habit (that may help you towards your goal). It is quicker, easier and will be about the journey. Remember, slow resolutions are about the journey, not the destination.

Creating a new habit is easy and quick. We create new habits all of the time, often by accident (pretty much everything we do is a repeated process, ie a habit!). The secret is the repeat it often over a short period of time and reward yourself every time you perform the task that you want to habitualise. By doing this, in just 3 short weeks you will have created a brand new habit, that will just get stronger over time.

(The reason we say 3 weeks is because that is how long it takes for the neurons in your brain to create a new pathway, the physical process of habit making!)

So make a list of new habit you would like to develop. And then order them in the easiest and simplest to do to the more complex. Then start with the easy ones. This will help increase your confidence in your ability to deliberately create new habits. Do one at a time (no need to rush these things), for a bout 3 weeks-ish. Then you will find that making new positive habits will become a habit (cunning huh?!)

My final thoughts on New Years Resolutions will be tomorrow.

SC

PS, the picture is of neural pathways in the brain!

What’s the Most Fun Way?

Apparently the 3 most common resolutions (in the UK) are:

1. Stop smoking (or change another habit)

2. Lose Weight/Get fit

3. To resolve not to make any because you won’t keep them anyway (how very British and cynical!)

Now, we all now that the start of every day is the start of a new year and continuing our free trip round the sun (which is always nice), but there is something more powerful about New Year, that collective (if you will allow me to indulge in some hippie sentiments) consciousness, that combined energy and social awareness, gives the New Years Resolutions at this time of year a bit more oomph…

And it is always nice to start a new diary with a good plan!

But what most people do is aim far too big and try and change everything all at once. They also fixate on the goal, the destination, not the journey to get there. Which means, they strive for a few weeks to try and chive that goal, the journey is far too much hassle, far too painful and they just give up.

I am not saying you shouldn’t have goals, dreams or achievements, I am just saying, you should think about them in a slightly different way.

For a start, ease in nice and gently. Resolve to do something nice and simple. Or maybe something you already do/don’t do! Just resolve to do it a little bit more. Ease yourself in gently, like doing a warm up before doing a full on work out.

Once you have the hang of succeeding in these little things an enjoying the process of doing them you can start to stretch yourself a little

But, when asking yourself what you want to achieve, ask yourself “What is the most fun way?”. This is the key to slow resolutions, it is about how you get there. Imagine striving and toiling for years to get something and hating every minute of it and then, just before you achive it, being hit by a bus? Or achieving it, realising it is not what you wanted after all all and realsingin those years of pain and toil were a waste? How true for so many people.

So, make sure you pick the most fun/interesting/whatever word gets you going way. It may take a little longer.

But remember it is the journey not the destination…

SC

PS, I am off for the rest of the week, so will be back Tuesday. Next week I aim to:

• Post another deckchair tv episode
• Post another podcast

Watch this space

Free stuff coming soon too! 

Life is a Journey, not a destination.

Life is a Journey, not a destination. Do you want it to be a sprint to the finish (death) or do you want it to be a stroll, where you appreciate and take in your surroundings. Allow yourself to be absorbed into the things that distract and fascinate you? In fact, that is the key! To follow your fascination. Go with the flow.

Have I told you the stream story? I think it is coming up on a deckchair TV episode soon, so I will leave it for now.

That is my theme for 2009 and is going to reflect my thoughts on how you can make some effective Resolutions the Slow way that means, not only will you be more likely to keep them, but you will be healthier, wealthier and happier in 2009. Even with the continued socio-economic turmoil. In fact, and I have said this before, that slowing down is not only beneficial in these troubled times, but the only sane way of dealing with what is going on!

Big claims? That I will hopefully back up!

But before I go on about New Years resolutions (have you made some? Have you broken them yet?), just a bit of a catch up of a few things that I noticed over Christmas and New Year (or just Christmastide, if you follow the pre- reformation 12 day festival, that ends today, on Epiphany, the 12^th day of Christmas and the 6^th January)?

Firstly there were 3 news stories that caught my eye over the festive period:

1. This interesting articlve on the BBC Today Show website about Idling. It undoes a lot of the misconceptions about it and shows how it can be beneficial…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7791000/7791966.stm

2. A couple if interesting Slow Health related stories here: 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/3917757/Getting-more-than-seven-hours-sleep-a-night-helps-prevent-heart-disease.html

See, lying is not being lazy, it is being healthy!

and here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3918685/Chocolate-wine-and-tea-can-boost-brain-power.html

Now, those are the health foods I like to eat! 

Right, don’t want  to do too much, too soon. Not even Plough Monday yet (more on that next wee). I will return tomorrow with a more detailed discussion on New Years Resolutions…

SC

Slow Yule Part 4 – Merry Christmas/Seasons Greetings

Well, well. I didn’t really get as far into exploring the idea of Slowing Down at Christmas as I would have liked. This is due to a couple of factors; dodgy internet connection over the last few weeks (one of the very few downsides to living out in the sticks) and not having the time due to a strangely hectic diary (I have been working away for the last week)

I will return in 2009 with much more about slow down and the slow movement, including (hopefully):

• A new shiny website (I think I have been promising this since I started this journal!), which will have a proper online shop facility
• A range of information products – audio and ebooks to help you slow down. Including a free ebook or 2 if you are lucky…
• More SlowCasts (if you haven’t had the chance to listen yet, go here to listen via itune - if you do this please leave groovee feedback! – or here to listen via podbean)
• More DeckChair TV episode (keep up to date here)
• Updated training and coaching packages.
• Tai Chi.
• More blogs about the current state of slow…
• Much more (they always say that don’t they? Probably because it is true, although I am not sure what it is yet…)

The subject of my first few posts of 2009 will be how to create New Years resolutions in a Slow way and how by applying Slow principles you will actually stand a higher chance of succeeding in doing them this year! AS well as more in depth look at how to cop with the continued global socio-economic downturn and how slowing down is the only sane option…

So have a good Christmas, a good New Year and see you in 2009!

SC