Ever thought that going “slow” at work could help you get more done? No — me neither. We live in a hectic, 24/7 society, full of power-walking workaholics.
So what could be less relevant to the working day than the “slow” movement? This came into being in Italy 20 years ago when fast-food chain McDonald’s tried to introduce Big Macs to the Piazza di Spagna in Rome. From this notion sprang the wider “slow” movement, which now includes slow travel, slow shopping and even slow design. But slow working? I don’t think so.
But, according to the experts, we’re not talking laziness here, but strategies for survival.
“Slow is important in psychology in general,” says Dr Gail Kinman, a reader in occupational health psychology at the University of Bedfordshire. “It gives you time for recovery from stress.
“If you don’t, there is more wear and tear on your cardiovascular system. And, eventually, not taking time to do this will have a negative effect on your immune system. Your long-term health may be at risk and you’re more likely to burn out early.” We need to pace ourselves and give ourselves time to think clearly. A study carried out at the University of Michigan has found that, because the human brain needs time to shift gears between tasks, we need to do one thing at a time.
The more switching back and forth we do — between, say, talking on the phone, scanning email and thinking about the next meeting — the less impressive our performance will be. And high performance, not long hours, is what employers look for.
Kinman points out that the “24/7” philosophy is partly self-inflicted. “A lot is the pressure we put on ourselves,” she says. “In the past you would write a letter, get it typed up, then post it. When you had a reply you would think about it before responding.
“Now we expect ourselves to be in constant communication with others. You need to ask: what do I expect of other people? And what do they expect of me? If you want a nice, long career, get into some good habits now.”
Crikey. I decide that — for the purposes of this article — I will put in a day of slow working. But can I really break with my default style of getting things done? Which involves logging on to my emails at 6am, tapping away at my PC till my 10-minute lunch break, then zapping through the afternoon powered by caffeine and carbs.
So I take the chilled approach, seeking slow experts on the web for an hour, then relaxing with some yoga. Instead of hunching over the keyboard, I stand up, take a deep breath and go into dog pose. Then my email pings.
It is Geir Bethelsen, creator of the World Institute of Slowness, who has responded to my request in about 20 minutes. He emphasises that slow working doesn’t just mean making time to relax — the key is to use your time to relate to colleagues.
Bethelsen cites the “10 commandments for workplace slow”: speak to people, smile, call people by name, be friendly and helpful, be sincere, be really interested in people, be generous with praise, be careful with the feelings of others, respect their opinions and always be ready to help.
But getting in the right frame of mind is important. “Each morning, sit down doing nothing or take a short walk and think about what you want to accomplish that day,” he says. “And in the evening use 10 minutes to think about what you achieved.”
Encouraged by this thought, I take another break and go out for a skinny cappuccino. But the world is against me. There’s a queue in the cafe, they’ve run out of skimmed milk and hordes of yummy-mummies are trilling. Back at my desk I am now frazzled, my inbox is full and I’ve had enough of slow working to last a lifetime.
Fortunately, another expert on slow working is on the line. Christopher Richards has set up a website — www.slowdownnow.org — dedicated to slow working. He points out that anyone working in an office needs to think about whether they want to work at break-neck speed or whether they have a choice. Unfortunately, there is no easy way out here. The real answer is to redesign your working life.
Richards believes we need to take a hard look at what we want work to do for us. “In a work hierarchy those at the bottom are powerless,” he says. “Debt means wage slavery. The way out is personal responsibility, of saving and spending only what you have.”
So there you have it. Slow working means renegotiating your relationship with money, not coming in late telling your colleagues to chill. Looks like my days as a stress junkie aren’t over yet. — Â