Presence > Productivity Finding Joy in Slow Living
We live in a society where productivity and comparison are at the forefront of most of our lived experiences. We are bombarded on social media with visuals of the ways in which people “just like us” fill their schedules with tasks, appointments and even the things that count as self care. People compare their worth to how many friends, followers or clients they have rather than the internal experience of how they truly feel about themselves. Lastly, we are constantly in search of what is next. Whether that is the next career move, the next holiday, trip, plans with friends, etc. - all of which take us out of the current moment and the experience of finding joy in slow living. What if, instead of always trying to produce and rush through life, we gave ourselves the opportunity to move more slowly and with intention to live a more joyful life?
Disadvantages of Productivity
I’m not here to hate on or bash productivity - it can be an incredibly important tool and support in many different areas of our lives. But, like anything in life, the excess or lack of balance where we are overly productive can have some disadvantages. Some of these include:
chronic stress and burnout
reduced creativity
guilt and challenges when resting
strain in connections and relationships
Maybe the next time you find yourself feeling one of these ways, try to explore one way you can practice moving with more presence.
What is Slow Living?
Each of us may have different definitions or associations to what slow living may mean. For some it may include doing less in our daily schedules. For others it may be physically moving more slowly, rather than always being “on the run.” Slow living can also mean taking things one step at a time, rather than worrying about what may be coming next.
For the purpose of this blog post, I am reflecting on slow living to be a combination of these all but above all to mean presence.
Presence to the current moment, experience, thoughts, emotions, sensations - all of it. A series of moments where we are truly aware of our feet on the ground as well as our internal and external experience.
4 Ways to Practice More Presence in Your Life
As you start to become more intentional in the process of living slowly and with more presence in your daily life, you may find yourself feeling more joy, deeper connections with your environment and community, decreased levels of stress and anxiety, less pain or chronic health issues and overall a more fulfilling life.
In order to live with more presence, you do not need to completely restructure your life or move to the countryside, free of technology, you can also take small steps which can also create impact.
Take 5-10 minutes daily to be still. It doesn’t matter the time of day or where you are, find 5-10 minutes in your day to simply be present.
This may be staring at an object or the trees swaying outside. Or it may be mindfully drinking your morning coffee or tea.
Be present to one task. Pick a task you have to do and practice being simply present to that one thing. Try to notice (and resist the urge) to do anything else aside from the one thing while you are doing it.
This can look like doing your laundry without checking your phone or going for a walk without listening to a podcast.
Do something creative. When you are engaged in the creative process you are engaging in presence to the moment. Yes, emotions may arise as you are in the process but that is all part of the experience. Once you make space for more activities that bring you into the present moment, you start to build rituals and show your body how good it feels (hopefully leading to you doing it more).
Maybe you take a pottery class or to choir practice. Maybe you find a new creative journaling prompt to try.
Ask yourself - What brings me joy? So often we don’t know how to be present because we don’t even know what we want or need. Staying in the productive ways of being can be easy because we know what to do, how to do it, etc. Give yourself the time to simply ask and explore what may give you joy.
It can be something as simple as baking or hanging out with friends. Maybe it is something that requires more planning like visiting your favorite city.
When you choose presence over constant output, the reward isn't a longer list of achievements—it’s a richer life. You begin to notice that peace isn't something you reach at the end of a long workday; it’s something you cultivate moment by moment. You invite in more connection to yourself, your surroundings and your community.
Today, give yourself permission to pause. Breathe in the moment you’re actually in. Everything else can wait.
