Slow is Fast

March 18, 2025

I posted a reel to instagram yesterday about moving slow and it got some attention…. So i wanted to speak to it with more depth than a 60 second reel allows.

We’re always rushing, aren’t we? Rushing to get out the door, to the next task, to the next milestone. Even when we’re not late, there’s this compulsion to move fast—because speed feels productive (we loooove being productive don’t we?!), and we’ve been conditioned to believe that more, faster, harder is the way to success.

But what if that’s the very thing keeping you stuck?

Slowing down feels foreign because, for high achievers like us, it triggers discomfort. It’s a stress response—our nervous system associating pause with danger. We’ve trained ourselves to be in constant motion, juggling all the balls, staying ahead of the curve. But when we rush, we miss the point.

We miss the insight, the clarity, the connection, the deep work that only happens when we’re present.

Constantly operating at full speed is also exhausting. When you’re always in a heightened state of urgency, your nervous system stays in fight-or-flight mode, flooding your body with stress hormones. That might feel like energy in the moment, but it’s actually a massive drain. It perpetuates exhaustion, decision fatigue, and burnout—leaving you less effective, less creative, and less present for the things that matter. Slowing down isn’t about losing momentum. It’s about conserving energy so you can use it where it actually counts.

How to Invite Slowness into Your Day (Without Losing Momentum)

Stir your coffee slowly. Yes, really. Take a moment to notice the motion, the colour, the warmth. Let it be a cue to drop into your body before the day sweeps you away.

Type/write more slowly. Instead of hammering out emails at record speed, slow down. Notice your thoughts. See if you can bring intention to each word instead of just getting it done. You’ll likely notice less need for the handy backspace key when you type slowly….

Walk slower. Whether it’s around your house, to your car, or between meetings—pause. Feel your feet on the ground. Let movement become mindfulness.

Drive like you actually want to arrive. (Bonus: fewer speeding tickets.) Pay attention to how often you’re rushing behind the wheel when you don’t even need to. What’s the hurry, really?

Breathe before responding. In conversations, in emails, in decisions—take a deliberate inhale and exhale before you react. This one shift alone can change how you lead, connect, and problem-solve.

Now, if even reading this makes you feel antsy, if the idea of slowing down brings up resistance—pay attention to that. Because that resistance is telling you something.

I go deep into this in The Resistance Report, my guide to understanding why you push back against the things that would actually help you (and how to move through it). It’s on sale until the end of March—check it out here.

Slowing down isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing better. Try it. Then hit reply and tell me what happens.

Breathe it in, Be Deliberate, go slow

Chelsea
The Deliberate One