Title: The Power of Slow- 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World
Author: Christine Louise Hohlbaum
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 978-0-312-57048-4
The Power of Slow – 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World is like a breath of fresh air reminding us that it is sometimes okay to just sit back and relax.
Backed with insightful exercises, Hohlbaum first leads you to the realization that time and being busy may not be what you do but may have become what you are. Statements like “I don’t have time , I’m out of time, No time today, I’m sooo busy, and We’re going to be late” are examined to see the role of being busy takes in our lives and if we are truly happy by being constantly consumed by time.
Written as a series of 11 chapters that build on each other, concepts covered include: Ten Ways to Improve Your Relationship to Time, Ten Ways to Move Forward When Your Just Don’t Want To, and Ten Ways to Do What You Do Best So Others Can, Too. This handy book not only gives you exercises to recognize your adverse relationship with time but also gives you strategies on ways to cut back, slow down, and just say no.
The Power of Slow goes beyond simple time management and tries instead to get to the root of behavior and in some cases, addiction to the rush of being under a time crunch. In the section of learning the importance of saying no, you are prompted to ask yourself the following questions before you agree to yet another obligation:
- Does the idea of saying yes to the project leave you breathless?
- Does the project make your heart sing or sink?
- If you are uncomfortable taking it on, locate the reasons for your discomfort. Are you fearful of tackling something new? Do you feel overwhelmed by the scope of the project?
The Power of Slow not only discusses slowing down and prioritizing your expenditure of energy, it also covers taking care of yourself so that you have the energy to expend. Under the topic of Protect the American Dream – Take a Nap, Hohlbaum states:
To quote Nancy Gibbs, “With too little sleep there are too few dreams.” How can you pursue the American Dream if you aren’t getting enough shut-eye to let that dream unfold? Sleep and fulfilled dreams go hand in hand.
With simple and precise logic Hohlbaum leads us through a series of self-analysis exercises and questions that ultimately help us clearly see our relationship to time and identify what might be getting in the way of our getting things done.
Christine Louise Hohlbaum is a public relations professional, freelance writer, and the author of S.A.H.M. I Am and Diary of a Mother. She lives near Munich Germany, with her husband and two children.
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