原文: The 10 Essential Rules for Slowing Down and Enjoying Life More

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.

It’s an irony of our modern lives that while technology is continually invented that saves us time, we use that time to do more and more things, and so our lives are more fast-paced and hectic than ever.

Life moves at such a fast pace that it seems to pass us by before we can really enjoy it.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Let’s rebel against a hectic lifestyle and slow down to enjoy life.

A slower-paced life means making time to enjoy your mornings, instead of rushing off to work in a frenzy. It means taking time to enjoy whatever you’re doing, to appreciate the outdoors, to actually focus on whoever you’re talking to or spending time with — instead of always being connected to a Blackberry or iPhone or laptop, instead of always thinking about work tasks and emails. It means single-tasking rather than switching between a multitude of tasks and focusing on none of them.

Slowing down is a conscious choice, and not always an easy one, but it leads to a greater appreciation for life and a greater level of happiness.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Do less. It’s hard to slow down when you are trying to do a million things. Instead, make the conscious choice to do less. Focus on what’s really important, what really needs to be done, and let go of the rest. Put space between tasks and appointments, so you can move through your days at a more leisurely pace. Read more.

2. Be present. It’s not enough to just slow down — you need to actually be mindful of whatever you’re doing at the moment. That means, when you find yourself thinking about something you need to do, or something that’s already happened, or something that might happen … gently bring yourself back to the present moment. Focus on what’s going on right now. On your actions, on your environment, on others around you. This takes practice but is essential.

3. Disconnect. Don’t always be connected. If you carry around an iPhone or Blackberry or other mobile device, shut it off. Better yet, learn to leave it behind when possible. If you work on a computer most of the day, have times when you disconnect so you can focus on other things. Being connected all the time means we’re subject to interruptions, we’re constantly stressed about information coming in, we are at the mercy of the demands of others. It’s hard to slow down when you’re always checking new messages coming in.

4. Focus on people. Too often we spend time with friends and family, or meet with colleagues, and we’re not really there with them. We talk to them but are distracted by devices. We are there, but our minds are on things we need to do. We listen, but we’re really thinking about ourselves and what we want to say. None of us are immune to this, but with conscious effort you can shut off the outside world and just be present with the person you’re with. This means that just a little time spent with your family and friends can go a long way — a much more effective use of your time, by the way. It means we really connect with people rather than just meeting with them.

5. Appreciate nature. Many of us are shut in our homes and offices and cars and trains most of the time, and rarely do we get the chance to go outside. And often even when people are outside, they’re talking on their cell phones. Instead, take the time to go outside and really observe nature, take a deep breath of fresh air, enjoy the serenity of water and greenery. Exercise outdoors when you can, or find other outdoor activities to enjoy such as nature walks, hiking, swimming, etc. Feel the sensations of water and wind and earth against your skin. Try to do this daily — by yourself or with loved ones.

6. Eat slower. Instead of cramming food down our throats as quickly as possible — leading to overeating and a lack of enjoyment of our food — learn to eat slowly. Be mindful of each bite. Appreciate the flavors and textures. Eating slowly has the double benefit of making you fuller on less food and making the food taste better. I suggest learning to eat more real food as well, with some great spices (instead of fat and salt and sugar and frying for flavor).

7. Drive slower. Speedy driving is a pretty prevalent habit in our fast-paced world, but it’s also responsible for a lot of traffic accidents, stress, and wasted fuel. Instead, make it a habit to slow down when you drive. Appreciate your surroundings. Make it a peaceful time to contemplate your life, and the things you’re passing. Driving will be more enjoyable, and much safer. You’ll use less fuel too.

8. Find pleasure in anything. This is related to being present, but taking it a step farther. Whatever you’re doing, be fully present … and also appreciate every aspect of it, and find the enjoyable aspects. For example, when washing dishes, instead of rushing through it as a boring chore to be finished quickly, really feel the sensations of the water, the suds, the dishes. It can really be an enjoyable task if you learn to see it that way. The same applies to other chores — washing the car, sweeping, dusting, laundry — and anything you do, actually. Life can be so much more enjoyable if you learn this simple habit.

9. Single-task. The opposite of multi-tasking. Focus on one thing at a time. When you feel the urge to switch to other tasks, pause, breathe, and pull yourself back. Read more.

10. Breathe. When you find yourself speeding up and stressing out, pause, and take a deep breath. Take a couple more. Really feel the air coming into your body, and feel the stress going out. By fully focusing on each breath, you bring yourself back to the present, and slow yourself down. It’s also nice to take a deep breath or two — do it now and see what I mean. :)

—
Read more about simplifying and focus in my book, The Power of Less.

译文: 让你放慢生活节奏，尽情享受人生的十大秘诀

 

 现代生活中，具有讽刺意味的是：在技术不断被创造来节约我们时间的同时，我们用这部分节约的时间来做越来越多的事情。因此，我们的生活节奏比以前更快了，日子也比以前繁忙。

 这样呢，在我们还没来得及享受人生之前，它已经匆匆而过。

 不过，我们不一定要这样度过我们的人生。我们可以改变这种繁忙的生活方式，放慢生活节奏，真正享受人生。

 节奏更加舒缓的人生是肯花时间来享受每一个晨曦，而不是急急忙忙、狂躁不安地赶着去工作。这样的人生是肯花时间欣赏我们正在做的任何一件事，喜爱野外生活、真正地关注与我们聊天或者相处的人们，而不是总和“黑莓”或者iphone手机或者笔记本电脑呆在一起，不是一直想着工作任务以及电子邮件。这样的生活是一次只做一件事，而不是同时在众多的任务中切换却并不专注于它们中的任何一个。

放慢生活节奏是明智的抉择，但是却不容易。放慢生活节奏能让人们更懂得欣赏生活，感受到更多的幸福。

下面就来看看该怎么做吧。

1. 做少点事情。当我们想做许多事情的时候，我们很难慢下来。相反，我们应该做出明智的选择，一次只做一点事情。将注意力放到真正重要的事情以及真正需要处理的事情上来，将其他无关紧要的事情放到一边。另外呢，在许多任务之间安排些间隙、而不是同时在众多的任务中切换，这样我们能更轻松地度过每一天。

 2.专注于正在做的事情。仅仅只是放慢生活节奏是不够的，我们需要将心思放到此时此刻我们正在做的事情上来。这就是说，当我们发现自己正在考虑需要处理的事情，或者已经发生了事情，或者可能发生的事情时，我们要把自己的思绪拉回到此时此刻。将注意力放到正在发生的事情上来，比如说我们的行为，我们周围的环境，我们周围的人们。这一点需要练习并且必不可少。

 3.偶尔切断与外界的联系。不要总是能被别人找到。如果你随身带了iphone手机，“黑草莓”或者其他移动设备，请关掉它们。如果可以的话，最好将它们放在家里。如果我们一天中的大部分时间都在电脑上工作，有时切断与外界的联系能使我们专注于其他一些事情。一直都和外界保持着联系意味着我们注定会被打扰，我们不断被源源不断的信息压抑着，我们听任其他人的 意愿。如果我们一直忙着查看不断涌来的信息，我们很难放慢生活节奏。

 4. 关注周围的人们。通常，我们和家人、朋友或者同事共处时，并没有用心和他们交流。我们和他们聊天时，其他电子设备却让我们分了心。我们和他们在一起，但我们的思维却仍然停留在我们需要处理的事情上面。我们听他们倾诉，但我们却真正只想着自己，想着我们自己想说的话。当然，我们中的任何一个人都不能避免以上提到的这点不足，但是如果我们有心地付出努力，我们是可以关上外部世界的大门，来与自己相处的人们用心交流的。这就是说，与家人朋友相处的哪怕是一小段时间也可以让人受益无穷，并且这样做能是我们更有效率地利用时间。换言之，我们要真正的和人们沟通，而不是只和他们见见面。

5．欣赏自然美景。我们中的大多数人很多时间都被关在家里，办公室，汽车里或者火车里，很少有时间到户外走走。通常情况下，即使人们在外面，他们也随身携带上移动电话。实际上，我们应该抽出时间到户外走走，观赏自然美景，深深呼吸新鲜空气，享受泉水和草木的宁静。在野外时，尽可能地做些运动或者享受其他诸如散步，徒步旅行，游泳等户外运动。 体会触摸泉水，微风，和泥土的感觉。 每天都要坚持这样做，我们自己一个人或者和我们爱的人一起。

 6.放慢吃饭的速度。不要试图将食物尽可能快的塞满我们的喉咙，这样会导致过食症，也会让人感到食而无味。试着慢慢吃饭吧。专心的品尝每一口，欣赏食物的味道和形态。慢慢吃饭有双重好处：我们吃进去的食物减少了，却能体会到饱的感觉；另一方面，它使食物尝起来更加地可口。我建议可以尝试着吃更多含有一些可口香料的食物，而不是吃含有很多脂肪，食盐，糖类的食物或者油炸食品。

 7.放慢开车速度。在我们这个生活节奏快速的世界里，快速行车已经成为一种流行的习惯。但是它却导致了大量的交通事故，交通压力，以及燃料浪费。所以呢，我们开车时，要将慢速行车变成一种习惯。欣赏周围的风景。用驾驶这段时间来思考我们的生活以及我们驾车驶过的景物。这样呢，开车就会变得更愉快，更安全。同时，我们也可以节约燃料。

 8.从一切事物中发掘乐趣。这一点和“专注于正在做的事情”有关系，但它从层次上讲，就更进一步。做任何事，我们都要全身心投入，并且欣赏它的每一个侧面，最后找出它有趣的地方。比如说，刷碗的时候，努力体会水、肥皂泡以及盘子的触感，而不是把它当成一件无聊的事情来敷衍完成。从这个角度出发，刷碗就变成了一件很有趣的事情。同理，诸如洗车、扫地、除尘、洗衣服等琐事也可以成为有趣的事情。如果我们能养成这些简单的习惯，生活会变得趣味横生。

9. 一次只完成一个任务。这与一次完成很多任务相反。一次只专注于一件事情。当我们感到是被压迫着要接着完成其他任务时，停下来，深呼吸，将我们自己的状态调整到最佳。

10. 深呼吸。当我们发现自己疲惫时仍然在不停做事，停下来，做一次深呼吸，也可以做多次。真实地感觉到空气进入你的身体，压力从体内排出。将注意力全部放到每一次呼吸上，我们将我们自己带回此时此刻，并让自己舒缓下来。偶尔做一两次深呼吸也很舒服，现在马上试试吧，看看我说的有道理没有。