I’ve been taking it slow since returning from vacation last week. The pace determined not by jet lag or a desire to stay on island time but inspired instead by two wonderful experiences on my flight.
The first was watching the Japanese film, Perfect Days. On the surface, this would seem an odd choice. The pace of the movie in the beginning is almost painfully slow as it follows the daily habits of a Japanese man whose job is to clean public restrooms. Watching, you are restless for action, for something dramatic to happen. Yet it never does. Each day, as he leaves for work he looks up to greet the sun – and the day – with a smile. We see him taking pride in his work, dutifully cleaning restrooms in Tokyo. He eats lunch in a beautiful park, taking pictures of equally beautiful trees. He reads from his book both during dinner at a local restaurant and before he goes to bed each night. His interactions with others are purposeful. Everything he does is with intention. While the pace of the film doesn’t really ever pick up, it is never-the-less engrossing and moving.
Later on the same flight, I read the book, Slow Productivity from Cal Newport. In it, he also promotes a life of intention, one where we try to minimize digital distractions and the pressure we put on ourselves to just get more things done. Something he refers to as pseudo-productivity. He recommends investing your time in meaningful projects that unfurl over time. To dedicate blocks of our days to focus on what really matters to you. To only check or respond to email twice a day. Some of the habits he recommended I had already started to implement and upon reflection it made sense why they brought me such joy and satisfaction. Others, like trying to minimize the “overhead” of your work – the work that is not really the work, I’m trying to get better at.
Both the book and the movie challenge the assumption that we need to lead busy lives in order to be satisfied or productive – instead suggesting that the key is to lead more focused and intentional ones. It’s not about getting more done but spending more time on what you truly care about.
In Perfect Days, technology is in the background – used only when needed. The protagonist has a phone but uses it only to make or receive calls. He listens to music but each day simply chooses from one of his cassettes to listen to on his commute to work (The soundtrack by the way is awesome.)
In comparison, Newport tells us that the average person checks their phone every six minutes. Of course, you’re going to feel busy when you’re constantly picking up and putting down a device designed to deliver some combination of distraction and dopamine.
While on vacation, I did no work and rarely responded to any email. Given the time difference, it was worth noting that when I awoke, I would be greeted by fifty to a hundred emails. Most could be dismissed immediately – only a few warranted attention. Why then, when back on standard time, would it ever warrant disrupting what I’m focusing on to check or respond to an email that almost certainly would take me out of my headspace and could wait a few hours before attending to it?
I began by saying that I have been taking it slowly since returning from vacation. This is not to say I haven’t been productive. In fact, I’ve been more so. Particularly advancing projects that are important while also finding time to enjoy life and my surroundings. I’ve played more guitar, read more, visited a bookstore, played soccer with my daughter, attended a concert, and reached out to friends and family – all with greater intention. This is a far cry from previous times when I returned from a vacation feeling stressed and overwhelmed at trying to just catch up.
While on vacation, I was able to have meaningful conversations individually with each of my daughters and my wife. At one point, my oldest daughter who is about to enter her junior year, lamented that everyone seemed so stressed and anxious about college and moving on to the next chapter of their life. Instead, she just wishes things would slow down so she could enjoy the time she still has in school and at home. That sounds perfect to me.
Recommendation of the Week. Read Slow Productivity and/or watch Perfect Days. Or, of course, just slow down.