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Slow Five
Slow Five
Slow Five: 5 ordinary actions very slowly. The point isn't mindfulness for its own sake; it's interrupting the frantic pace that burnout creates.
Burnout is not always about a heavy workload. Often it's about the pace at which you do things. Have you noticed how even ordinary moments - opening a door, making coffee, walking to the printer - are swept along by the same urgency that's come to overshadow everything else? Slowing movement calms the nervous system - it's linked to more prefrontal engagement and less amygdala-driven reactivity, responsible for "hurry sickness" (Friedman & Rosenman).
It's disruptive and a bit strange, in a good way.
It's disruptive and a bit strange, in a good way.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FIVE ACTIONS, IT CAN BE THREE...
How to Use Slow Five
The next time you observe you're rushed. Stop and notice. Then the next five ordinary things you do - as they would naturally occur in your day - are the slow ones. Do them consecutively as your day naturally presents them. If you're at your desk and about to stand up, drink water, walk to the printer, make coffee, get milk from the fridge, those become your five in a row - done slowly, back to back.
WHY FIVE? Five gives you the strongest juxtaposition effect, because you feel five consecutive decelerations in a row, which is what makes the "spell-breaking" work.
But if that feels beyond you, three will do just as well.
WHY FIVE? Five gives you the strongest juxtaposition effect, because you feel five consecutive decelerations in a row, which is what makes the "spell-breaking" work.
But if that feels beyond you, three will do just as well.
Step-by-step
- Begin by NoticingOn a scale of 1–10, how rushed does your body feel right now?
- Pick Five (or Three)Choose five everyday actions and do each at half your normal speed (absurdly slowly, in other words).
- Notice AgainWhere do you feel different? Your breathing? Shoulders? Jaw? Thoughts? Urge to rush?
- Carry One Thing ForwardWhat's one thing you'll continue doing slowly as often as you can today? (it can be as simple as drinking water).
Ordinary Action Ideas You Could Include in Your Slow Five
"Joy comes to us in ordinary moments. We risk missing out on joy when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary." - Brené Brown
- Make a cup of coffee
- Drink a glass of water
- Declutter your desk
- Refill your water bottle
- Write the first line of an email
- Rinse your mug
- Wipe the kitchen sink
- Watch the kettle boil
- Scroll to find a document
- Stand up from your chair
- Climb a flight of steps
- Walk to the door
- Butter toast
- Wash your hands
- Walk to the bathroom
- Apply handcream
- Write one line by hand
- Turn a door handle
- Unpack your bag
- Water a plant
- Wait for the lift
- Take the first sip of tea
- Make breakfast
- Put on your headphones
You've just done something most rushed days never allow: moved slowly, on purpose, and noticed the difference. That's how you take your pace back — one ordinary moment at a time.
