Changing Fast... to Slow

On shifting perspectives, digital detoxing & savouring slow rituals

Hey, it’s Alexandra. Welcome to my weekly newsletter where I share my latest reflections on professional development & well-being.

If you’re not a subscriber, here’s what you missed recently:

• Here Comes The Sun

• Be Confident Enough To Let Go

• Avoid An Empty Cup During Transition

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This week, I’m sharing my experience with:

• Shifting Perspectives

• Digital Detoxing

• Slow Rituals

  ☕️ Read time: 4 mins (best with tea or coffee)

Golden hour in Miami back in 2021

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The first time I used a European washer machine, I spent the bulk of the cycle trying to make it stop. I was a twenty-four-year-old Londoner freshly minted from Montreal and I’d just moved into my first “flat.” My three “housemates” were tied up at work and I was eager to get organized before I started my new job the following day.

I’d woken up in a state of bliss. I felt like the Queen now that I finally had a room of my own after living in a hostel for a month while I searched for a less grungy place to live.

But my blissful bubble was popped and replaced with incredulity punctuated by frustration when what I assumed would be a standard 35-45 minute laundry cycle went on, and on, AND ON. I assumed I’d hit the wrong button when over an hour in, the machine indicated another two to go. To make matters worse, the machine was labeled in German so I didn’t have the faintest clue what anything said.

I crouched in front of the machine countless times as I alternated between pushing buttons and trying to pry the door open—but nothing changed. All I could do was watch my clothes gently wheel round and round as if guided by a sedated hamster.

I was convinced the endless cycle was wreaking havoc on the limited clothing I’d hauled across the pond, not to mention worried I was wasting an obscene amount of water. So when one of my housemates finally walked through the door, I was all too eager to bask in his shock. But my expectations fell flat.

“Yeah, that’s normal,” he said casually when I told him the cycle was cruising toward the three-hour mark. I made no effort to hide how scandalized I was while emphatically explaining that washer machines in Canada average 35-45 minutes for a regular cycle.

My housemate, who was doing an accelerated master’s and Ph.D. program at London’s prestigious King’s College—and who has one of the most analytical minds I’ve ever known—paused. Then he said pointedly, “It’s probably bad for your clothes to be spun around so fast.”

I had to smile. There I was thinking Europeans had it backwards and that having your clothes wet for so long was likely to damage them. And then I had to laugh when I thought about how many times I’ve witnessed laundry machines in Canada rattle with maniacal force during those last few furious spins—when the contents inside are balled so heavily and thrown so forcefully that the machine starts to scurry away like an industrial size rodent. Clearly, there are pros and cons to how fast things go.

Perspective

Speaking of optimal “speed,” I saw a 47-second video on Twitter the other day that spoke to me. In it, a guy putters around a cabin in the woods with a reflective nature—making tea, journalling, and generally enjoying life’s slow, simple pleasures. His message?

“Social media is changing FAST… to slow.”

He elaborates on how many people (and hell, I’m one of them) are tired of overly edited, “crackhead” retention styles that are heavy into animations and other loud graphics in a bid to get more eyeballs on articles and videos. The guy goes on to explain how the era of chaotic content has peaked and now, many of us are looking for substance in the form of slower, rawer stories unfolded without the flash.

Tea time wisdom

I’m feeling this welcome shift from “fast… to slow.” I’ve been feeling it since I ushered in the new year but didn’t have the words to describe it—until now.

I want to be more intentional in 2024 and spend less time scrolling. I want to read more thought-provoking writing and watch more inspiring videos, yet spend more time on down-to-earth, simple pleasures offline.

Exploring independent bookstores is one of my simple pleasures

Detox

“While most of us are willing to invest in our health, we often neglect our “content diet,” which refers to the type of information we choose to feed our brains on a daily basis.”

—Polina Pompliano, The Profile

This massive shift I’ve been feeling from “fast… to slow” has had me looking at social media differently. Back when I did the full-time solopreneur thing for a couple of years, I rode the 2021 wave of enthusiasm around courses, Twitter threads, and other content creation fads—and it was a blast. I learned a ton and met a bunch of wonderful people. But admittedly, I was, at times, guilty of trying to “keep up with an arbitrary content quota.”

I fell victim to the “you need to build an audience to make it as an entrepreneur” mindset. When really, my best clients came through referrals from people who didn’t care about my “public persona.” They knew someone who knew me and that’s why they chose to work with me. In time, they got to know me too, and things snowballed from there. (But that’s a bit of a sidebar.)

My point is, even when I wanted to pump out tons of content, I couldn’t bring myself to batch posts and eventually, I figured out why—it just wasn’t me. I prefer to write things as ideas strike me rather than schedule stuff. I also prefer long-form writing (as you can surely tell from my newsletter streak—119 weeks and counting). So I decided to focus my energy on my newsletter going forward.

On top of giving myself the freedom to create what feels authentic, I’ve also had a burning desire to clean up the content I consume. I realized most of the posts I see on Twitter and LinkedIn these days are from the same ten to twenty people who dominate these platforms. And most of the advice churned out is intense—in other words, not conducive to the lifestyle I strive for.

So I decided to do a digital detox of sorts. I unfollowed a bunch of big accounts that tend to overshadow the vast array of smaller, interesting people who offer the “boutique” vibes I long for.

I’m moving toward those who write as though they’re conversing with friends and away from those projecting like drill sergeants. I already feel more at peace.

Rituals

My years in London were an interesting mix of fast and slow. My favourite “slow Sunday” ritual to counter my otherwise fast-paced London life was hopping on the train to explore a new city or town. My friends and I—mostly fellow expats—were keen to absorb as much of the UK as possible so we’d look for cheap tickets to picturesque places and then spend the day wandering winding streets, delighting in the history, architecture, and darling shops that dotted our paths. Our days culminated with everyone gathered around the table for a Sunday roast at the coziest pub we could find. And we frequented many tea houses for fresh scones and desserts.

All these years later (I left London in June 2016), those “slow Sundays” are some of my fondest memories from that time in my life. They rather charmingly remind me that good things grow in the soil of slowing down.

Thanks for reading and have a wonder-full week,

Alexandra

P.S. Here’s a gorgeous glimpse of a video my Australian friend sent me to enjoy the slow roll of some gentle waves from afar. Heavenly, right?

Heaven in Australia

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☕️ Let me know if you visit Montreal & we can grab coffee or tea.