Slow Down

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Today I decided to support CommuncationShutdown.org in an effort to bring more awareness for Autism, doing it for my nephew Micah. Taking the day off from social media brings me to another lesson I have slowly been learning.

That lesson is to slow down.

I am the queen of multi-tasking! We all know multi-tasking is an invaluable skill in today's workplace. But lately we've been hearing that multi-tasking may not be so good after all. - Think You're Multitasking? Think Again

I have always been one to juggle many things at one time ever since I can remember. In high school I was class president, played in the band, was in yearbook, and worked a part-time job. In college, I went to school in the mornings and worked a part-time job in the evenings. After I graduated, I worked part-time and took on an internship. Even after I got a full-time job, I eventually went back to grad school, so I worked full-time and took one class at a time. I was always on the go. I thrived at running around and always being busy.

Of course, my actual job also required me to multi-task. I could talk to three different people and do ten different things at the same time and managed to do my job effectively. It’s a great skill to have and everyone relies on you to get things done, because you can!

Lately, I have nothing but time. I've been forced into slowing down. With that time here are some of things I've enjoyed:

• Baking from scratch
• Going for a walk and really enjoy my surroundings
• Appreciating the first warm day after a long, cold winter
• Having a long lunch with a friend
• Getting a full eight hours of sleep
• Reading books I want to read
• Being a tour guide when friends come to visit
• Going to a Cubs game in the middle of the day
• Taking my camera and find inspiration
• Finding free stuff to do
• Renewing old friendships and making new friends
• Having play dates with friends' kids

In your busy life, stop and slow down once in awhile and enjoy life a little more. Unplug from the digital world and join the real world, even just for 24 hours (it can be done!). Spend some quality time with your family and friends. I promise you, you won't regret it!

Do you need to slow down?