Slow down dummy!

Talking to myself here obviously…

Yesterday, I was moving so fast around my kitchen that I opened the freezer door instead of the refrigerator door. This resulted in a bloody forehead and quite a few expletives.

Oh me, oh my!

I need to learn to slow down and be more careful. I realize this, yet it is hard for me to actually follow through and slow down. Even when I was a kid my Dad would tell me over and over “Slow down buddy!” Right before I smacked my head into the cabinet door, knocked over my glass of milk, or spilled spaghetti sauce on my pants.

I have always been a person that moves too quickly. This aids in my ability to get tasks done quickly and efficiently (usually), but often my mind gets ahead of my hands and feet and thus injuries occur.

Why do I tell you this?

You might not be the fast type of person like I am, but we all need to slow down. We all need to remember to take a second, take a deep breath, and rethink our next moves. If we keep going at 125% we will burn out. It is not a question of IF we will burn out, it is a question of WHEN. The more we push push push and never take a break the more likely we are to crash and burn.

I have to be reminded of this constantly when my wife says “Jordan! Take a break and stop doing what you are doing!” Of course I always oblige and join her for a movie or a walk outside. You may not have a person that will get into your head to get you out of your head, so it is important to become more self-aware. I am working on this but I can tell you that it is a struggle. I find myself staring into the computer screen for hours on end working on this website and related things without even realizing how long I have spent in front of the computer.

So how do you slow down?

  • Consistently remind yourself that you need to slow down. Don’t let yourself slip totally into the void of needing to get a task done.
  • Remember that if you rush to make dinner, it will probably only get done a few minutes faster.
  • Imagine cleaning up a rug full of red pasta sauce. Do you REALLY want to do that? Slow down man (or woman!!)
  • Picture a bloody bruise on your forehead and take a deep breath. It is no fun to go to work and have people constantly asking you what you did to your head. I had to explain this to every table that I poured coffee too today! Yikes!
  • Ask for help. You don’t need to do it all yourself. Put your kids or your spouse to work and let them help you around the house or with dinner.
  • Use your energy for good and not evil! Run outside or go to the gym to lift.

These tips just scrape the surface of how to slow down. Don’t think that slowing down means that you will be more productive. Take it from someone who just lost an afternoon of work because I smacked my head real hard…

As always, thanks for reading!

Be sure to pick up a copy of my book when it gets released on 4/10/16!

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-Jordan

Your Fiber Guardian