Why Slow?

The vision of The World Institute of Slowness is to slow the world down to create healthier, happier and more productive people.

So why be fast when you can be slow? Slowness is also about balance, so if you must hurry, then hurry slowly. “Festina Lente!”

We have the same 24 hours in a day that we've always had and yet time seems to be speeding up. Remember when we were children, how long a day felt? Or when on holiday lying on a beach, how time seems to slow down? In these moments the clock never slows but our minds slow down to a more natural, human pace. You don’t have to travel somewhere else to find slow time, you own it, your life is your time. How you spend your time each and every day defines who you are.

We need to change our mindsets and for some people get out of the race they have put themselves in. Focus on your own personal goals and achieve them at a pace that suits you. Own your time, don't let other people takeover control of YOUR time.

Is it possible in today’s superfast world to live slow? Would I be able to keep my job? Provide a good living for my family? Does being ‘slow’ mean low efficiency, low productivity? No! Slow is NOT about being idle, and it's NOT about rejecting modernity or technology. Slow Living is all about balance… time for silence, time for planning, time for observing, time for reflection, time for caring, time for friendship, time for loving… Would all this destroy the effectiveness in one’s work? No, it would strengthen it! It would make you even more productive and help you to make better decisions.