I have been working hard on living intentionally over the last few weeks and I’ve noticed one key thing. Time slows down when you focus on what’s important to you.

After work, the evening often flies past as we manage meals, homework, showers and stories for the kids before collapsing on the couch for some well earned Netflix or YouTube. Before you know it, it’s past the time we’ve planned to go to bed and we’ve run out of day again.

Lately, I’ve been spending my time more intentionally and I’ve been amazed at how much more time I feel I’ve got available to me. Time seems to slow down when we’re focusing on specific activities such as writing, playing music, exercising or simply taking time out. Recently, I’ve even been watching Netflix intentionally rather than habitually and I can say it’s much more satisfying to watch one episode of something intentionally than binge watching a few together.

Recently I committed to dedicate my focus on healthy eating and spending my time intentionally for thirty days. I’m on my fifth day now and time seems to have slowed down even more. Each day is a series of deliberate acts that are moving me towards my more intentional life. Thirty days seems like a really long time when each day requires focus and self control. The days stretch out before me like an endless road of possibilities and success. It’s a powerful feeling.

At the moment, thirty days seems like a mammoth task but I’m already starting to consider that the days ahead are really just the first steps on what will be a long and rewarding journey. Why stop at thirty? Why not sixty, ninety, a thousand days of living mindfully and intentionally. Living at a slower pace is a very restful experience. With the amount of time I feel I have available to me at the moment, I can’t see why I would ever want to stop.

Published by the lean minimalist

Donna Sherriff is a New Zealand based improvement and operations management specialist. Seeing a need for simple, no fuss, improvement advice she started The Lean Minimalist blog in 2017. Donna writes articles offering advice and tips for rapid and sustainable business improvement based on over 15 years in Senior Management roles. Passionate about sharing the lessons of over 20 years on the high performance track Donna offers coaching services to professionals. She also writes about her own personal improvement journey, minimalism, and her life long struggle against the tyranny of cookies and sugar which she overcame in 2020. These days, Donna is pursuing a journey to earn her black belt in Taekwondo after a long hiatus of 16 years away from training. On the side she is an amateur but passionate musician and poet. View all posts by the lean minimalist