When most people envision having a slower life, it doesn’t involve having a career as well. Slow living usually conjures pictures of homeschooling on a hobby farm, with dreadlocks and no wifi. Having a job, let alone a successful career doesn’t usually fit into the picture.
One of the most common questions I get asked is ‘do I need to give up my job or career to adopt a slower lifestyle?”, or “how can I integrate slow living ideas when I have a busy job or career?”.
And if you want one doesn’t that mean you automatically don’t want the other?
Pursuing both the career AND slow living
Firstly, (in my humble opinion) it’s okay if you want to pursue slow living but also work hard and sometimes long hours in your profession. Having a career and a slow focus doesn’t need to be mutually exclusive.
For a large portion of the population, work (I’ll stick with the concept of paid work here) makes up approximately one-third of your day. And many of us work in jobs we enjoy and find rewarding and fulfilling. There’s no way you’d consider giving it up!
But there are a few things that will help you to both slow down AND keep your career.
Be honest about your choice
Firstly, if you have a strong inclination to pursue your chosen career, whether it’s flying planes, managing your local fruit shop, or writing a book, then you need to acknowledge that your time and energy are limited and finite.
When you say YES to your career, you automatically say NO to something else.
Sometimes that something else is a time-consuming hobby. Other times it’s a rigorous, or competitive sport. Sometimes it’s your kids or spouse.
This doesn’t have to be negative at all. It might simply mean that in order to work a 40 hour week you need to outsource some home things. Although please note you can’t outsource time spent with loved ones – trust me on this!
*I’ve italicized some above because I think it’s perfectly okay to outsource some cleaning or food shopping (if you can afford to) so you can spend more time in pursuit of a dream or goal. However, when I chased my dream job a few years ago it wasn’t okay that I outsourced everything imaginable. I felt like I was outsourcing my life in order to go to work.
Having strong boundaries
If you have leaned into workaholism in the past, even just a smidgen, you’ll need to employ some strong boundaries if you want to avoid going back to the fast lane.
It’s far too easy to be fooled into thinking that more (hours, projects, money), in our working life, equates to more happiness. In reality, research tells us the opposite. According to this article, there is a happiness plateau at around $80k. Making more than that won’t necessarily equate to more happiness.
If you are an employee, set strong boundaries about what you will and won’t do from the beginning. Are you willing to do overtime? Or willing to cover extra shifts? Answer work emails outside of work hours? State your boundaries and then get your boss to repeat them back to confirm they are crystal clear about what to expect (or not) from you.
Consider fitting your career around your life
Over the past few years, I have become increasingly passionate about the idea of ‘crafting my career or work around my life’, as opposed to having to fit my life around my career.
This is an entirely new way of thinking. When I grew up, both my parents worked in ‘traditional’ jobs, Mum as a bank teller, Dad driving taxi’s and trucks, and their employers dictating when and where they would do their duties from. And there was no leeway.
Fast forward a few decades and the American workforce is made up of one-third freelancers. That is, people who are contracting their services to others, largely on their terms. And often from home, in their pajamas, eating pizza.
We live in an age where we CAN pursue a career and make money on our own terms. You can be a virtual assistant, a virtual coach, a virtual illustrator, virtually anything. It’s easier than it’s ever been to be your own boss.
Of course, being a freelancer or small business owner doesn’t shield you from overtime and long work hours. You’ll still bump up against the fast lane, perhaps even more frequently. Boundaries will be just as important and perhaps harder to stick to when you are in that meeting with yourself.
Why I gave up my dream job for my life
I loved my dream job as an Intelligence Analyst for the NZ Police. It was one of the closest things to an FBI agent (which has been my real dream job since watching Clarice take down Hannibal Lector in 1991) as you can get here in lil’ NZ. BUT, there was no possibility of part-time or working from home. I had to fit my life around my job. I had to fit my family around my job.
So I eventually said no.
And since then I’ve; built a cobbled path of odd jobs to contribute to the food kitty; immersed myself in mindfulness techniques to slow my life and reduce stress; and discovered ways of building a wee business that enables me to work in my pyjamas on things that inspire me and fill up my contribution bucket.
To me, this is exciting. It’s a chance at a second blooming. And it’s a chance to finally step out of the rat race, the fast lane, the crazy-busy.
If you are like me, figuring out how to craft your career around your life, here are some more resources you might want to check out:
- Company of One: Why staying small is the next big thing for business (I am currently listening to this via my Audible subscription).
- In Praise of Slow, by journalist Carl Honore
- Some episodes from the last season of The Slow Home Podcast – Can you live slow in your 20’s or is burnout inevitable? Does slow living rob us of our ambition?
