In a recent post I said “The ultimate luxury of a modern world was the gift of unhurried time”. I did not mean that the modern world gives us unhurried time. It does the opposite. We have more devices, access to the worlds information, entertainment, tools, and “stuff” than ever. All these things are supposed to make our lives easier.
But as my son pointed out, we are “busier than ever” with all these modern things, and have trouble paying attention to it all.
And that is why the “ultimate gift luxury of a modern world is the gift of unhurried time”. It’s a luxury.
But to have unhurried time, YOU must be disciplined. You must limit your intake of information and not overcommit.
If you cannot be self-disciplined at the 2026 buffet table, it’s your own damn fault. And it always will be.
Simplify. Reduce the things you pay attention to, and say “no” 10X more than you do now.
As for what I do with my own unhurried time – I may be working. That’s right. But I enjoy working when I can focus on one thing and do it well.
I might be doing chores around the house – at my pace and at my will. No time pressure makes all the difference.
Do anything in a hurry, takes the joy out of it. That’s me.
How about you?
I find as I get older I like dividing chores into days. For example, I will mulch this half today, and this half tomorrow. It works really well for me not to be a hero and do everything the same day. Finished product gives me just as much joy. I don’t recommend this strategy with dishes. lol
So many people complain that they are “busy” but what’s really wrong is they are trying to do too much (including me at times). Simplify by focusing on what’s the most important work, then do it well.