A “Short” Summary of Everything I Learned from Sloww’s First 100 Posts

Update: Sloww has now hit 200 posts!

Sloww just recently crossed the 100-post mark. Cue: celebratory music!

It’s a good reminder to pause—take a look in the rear-view mirror and reflect. This post is intended to be a jumping off point for you. A sort of choose-your-own-adventure post.

Instead of scrolling the archives, this post has links to almost all of the first 100 posts on the site in a more organized fashion. I hope you find a few things that will help you start living in a slow, simple way.

Top 5 Most Viewed Posts of the Year:

1. 10 Life Hacks from “Essentialism” (Book Summary)
2. “Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life” (Book Summary)
3. The Meaning of Existential Crisis & 7 Ways to Navigate It
4. Slow Living 301: How to Start a Slow Living Lifestyle
5. Slow Living 101: What is Slow Living?

A “Short” Summary of Everything I Learned from Sloww’s First 100 Posts

On Busyness & Slow Living:

Busyness:

• There are several root causes of busyness.
• We actually have more free time than in the past.
• Most of the time, busyness is a feeling, and managing your mental bandwidth can help.
• Research shows busyness is a current status symbol, but busyness won’t last forever.
• Distinguish between a busy life and full life. You can see more when you slow down.

Slow Living:

• Slow living (also known as intentional / conscious / purposeful living) is branching into other slow areas like slow travel (we tried it) and slow fashion.
• A big part of slow living is your state of mind (or consciousness). Practice mindfulness moments, meditation, leaving space/margin in your day, and mealtime mindfulness. Give yourself permission to slow down.
• Daily naps and getting outside are great for your health.
• Timing matters—we all know “how-to” books, but have you ever heard of a “when-to” book?
• Take your time—there’s no quick fix and you can’t do all the life hacks.
• It’s the journey of a lifetime, but you only get 24 hours / one day at a time.
• Get inspiration from the slow and simple living communities online.

On Decluttering, Minimalism, & Simple Living:

Decluttering:

• I knew nothing about decluttering so I gave myself a decluttering crash course.
• Marie Kondo gets my vote as the best way to declutter. Here’s a KonMari Method cheat sheet.
• Another option is to follow a room-by-room guide.

Minimalism:

• There are different types of minimalism, including: rational minimalism and radical minimalism.
• The minimalism aesthetic is a trend—go for the minimalist lifestyle.
• I stopped buying clothes, and it kept going, and going all the way to a full buy nothing year).
• I worked for a denim brand, but now I’m a jeans minimalist.
• Already a minimalist? Great! Use that as momentum into slow and simple living.
• Digital minimalism is even a thing now: see how I did digital decluttering on my phone screen.

Simple Living:

• Who are the Joneses from the phrase “keeping up with the Joneses,” anyway? Although, maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to judge.
• I still think Ikarians from the Blue Zones are the most sane humans on the planet.
• A big part of happiness is in managing your expectations.
• People choose simple living for a variety of reasons.
• Begin to downshift to a life of voluntary simplicity that is outwardly simple but inwardly rich.
• Avoid lifestyle inflation (even question spending money on experiences) and increase your savings rate so you can hopefully retire earlier.

On Life Purpose:

• There’s a lot of good that comes from an existential crisis and existentialist philosophy.
• Humanity shares a common purpose.
• The Japanese term ikigai means “reason for being” (expect to see more ikigai books in the coming years).
• Everyone has a different aha moment that leads to their “why” or purpose (even Gandhi).
• What you believe determines your behaviors and what you become.
• Don’t mistake doing for being, or what you should do vs what you must do.
• No work-life balance isn’t the way to change the world. Leisure is necessary.
• Have you ever thought about your life roles?
• If you want to do/give the most good in your life and serve others, consider effective altruism.
• Writing your own future eulogy can help you figure out how to live now.
• Say “no” to all the non-essentials.
• Don’t forget, you can edit your purpose at any time.

On Perspective & The Future:

• Be a student of life and never stop learning (but try just-in-time learning). Here are the top 3 books I read in 2018.
• The average lifespan is only 1% of recorded history.
• You have an unconscious default setting in your mind, but you can choose how and what to think.
• Setting perspective is one of the quickest things you can do to start your day in a positive way.
• What if you only had a 15-hour workweek (it’s been a prediction for a long time)?
• We are all one or none! All life is interconnected on this pale blue dot and beyond.
• Humanity will evolve through a shift in consciousness and simplicity.

Whew, that’s it! Anything stand out to you? Want more of something in particular? Please let me know in the comments.

You May Also Enjoy:

• A “Short” Summary of Everything I Learned from Sloww’s Posts 101-200

• Sloww’s Most Popular Posts

• Sloww’s Book Recommendations & Reading List