Make the Most of Your Day: Life Is Short—Do Something Slowly on Purpose

Most of life feels like a race. Walk faster. Eat faster. Work faster. Even rest becomes rushed. But you weren’t made for speed alone. You were made to feel, to notice, to be.

If you want to make the most of your day, choose one simple thing—and do it slowly. On purpose. Let it take time. Let it teach you something about presence.

1. Slowness reveals what speed hides.

John Steinbeck, who wrote with quiet depth, said:

“Don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens—the main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.”

~John Steinbeck

Hurrying doesn’t protect you from loss. It just prevents you from feeling what’s good while it’s here.

2. Moving slowly reconnects you with the moment.

Thích Nhất Hạnh, master of mindfulness, taught:

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the whole world revolves.”

~Thích Nhất Hạnh

Today, drink your tea slowly. Walk slowly. Speak slowly. And watch your world transform.

3. Slowness is a form of resistance to a rushed world.

Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slow, wrote:

“The central tenet of the Slow philosophy is taking the time to do things properly, and thereby enjoy them more.”

~Carl Honoré

There is quiet power in saying: I will not be rushed today.

4. Doing something slowly is how you remember it later.

Anne Lamott shared:

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

~Anne Lamott

You’re not a machine. And even machines need time to reset. Go slow. Be gentle. Let yourself be human.

5. Slowness opens the door to gratitude.

Kahlil Gibran, voice of stillness, wrote:

“You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.”

~Kahlil Gibran

When you slow down, you begin to see that the earth was never in a hurry—and neither should your soul be.

A Final Reflection

Choose one thing to do slowly today: making your bed, folding clothes, stirring your coffee, walking around the block. Let it be enough. Let it bring you back to yourself. Because life is short—and the only way to truly feel it… is not to rush through it.