Slow academia:

booking in deep thinking and slow time as an act of self-care.

Slow academia has been critiqued for the privileged or identified as something for those who think moving fast = bad as a response to the constant measuring and productivity culture of higher education. But in 2022 we are still fascinated by what comes with slowing down. If the pandemic has taught us anything, a pause is beneficial for us. We are allowed to consider what it is that is important and indeed how we wish to engage with ourself, things, people, and well everything really.

We find a need amid the chaos to slow – things – down. (Mountz et al., 2015, p. 1238)

Slow movements exist across a plethora of fields - fashion, cinema, art, shopping, child rearing, urban design, medicine, etc,. With slow food movement being the most well known, some times referred to as the slow movement leader, emerged from the desire to change the pace of everyday life so that time could be spent together. The slow food movement had us stop, think and be intentional about slowly growing produce, slowly picking produce, slowly creating a meal together, and slowly eating a meal together with a slowing down where the ‘what is good in life’ can be embraced.

Flourishing not surprisingly has been associated to the slow movement. We undo the damage done and interrupt the notion of always being on, responding fast and embracing the hectic, hustle culture that surrounds us. The slow moment is about being present. It means being thoughtful and reflective. It is about being aware. It means we are embracing a culture where we make meaningful connections.

The paradox of the slow movement is that slow does not always mean slow (Honoré, 2005, p. 15). Slowing down means to be present and in the moment where there is an intentionality that interrupts autopilot, busyness work, and hustle with (self-)awareness. It does not mean everything is completed at a slow pace. It means things are completed at a slower pace, with a priority on spending the right amount of time on the things that matter. It is not a permission to do nothing, or not respond, or be silent. There is a freedom to think with a reconceptualisation of time, boundaries, habits and rituals. We deeply listen. And we still contribute but we do so by individually and collectively repositioning the conditions to which we create, cultivate and contribute to. We seek out eventful time, this is not seeking more time, rather we cultivate purposeful time to pause, reflect, and then respond.

It is not speed, but control over speed. (Martell, 2014, p. 40)

What slowing down affords is a prioritising. It is about boundaries, and when it comes to boundaries we are wise with what is best for us and possible. And side note, we are not to be responsible for how others react, process or judge us when it comes to boundaries.

Let’s flip some situations. How will you respond? How are you embracing the ability to slow down?

When do you stop, celebrate and appreciate what you have just achieved? What is your micro-moment celebration to yourself, to a colleague, for a colleague when something is achieved?

Email. I can leave it here with one word. We all know how email has consumed us.

Multi-tasking, administration, busyness work, conflicting demands, requests to action now, and so on, are a big part of our work culture. What happens if we reconceptualise what it is we need to do, focusing more on the richness of the task?

“I really want us to spend time together on that idea we had, I promise I’ll make it happen”. Weeks, months, years later nothing has happened. How many times has this happened for you?

Slowing down requires creating intentional time that allows you to be more reflective. There will be different moments in the day that you will need to cultivate stopping, pausing, rejecting, resisting, reflecting, responding or repositioning.

How are you going to book yourself for this slow time?

Here are some slowing down guiding principles:

Slowing down is not ignoring all aspects of the work, but titling towards what is a careful planning, honouring, respecting, and enactment of deep work.
Slowing down is an act of care for yourself and others.
Celebrating and appreciating what we do is an acknowledgement of our accomplishments. Every small celebration is an act of care for yourself, it is not about how many things we do each day, it is about embracing all that comes with what we do, and this includes micro-moments of appreciation, gratitude and celebration. Count what others don’t.
Create space and time for deep work. Book yourself.
Slow down and take the time to be present with others. Value the time with others.
Embrace a philosophy that acknowledges email is not the only form of communication nor does it require 24/7 monitoring.
Slowing down is a part of wellbeing by design, rather than wellbeing by necessity as you are exhausted, burnout, ill, stressed or overwhelmed.

References:

Mountz, A., Mountz, A., Bonds, A., Mansfield, B., Loyd, J., Hyndman, J., Walton-Roberts, M., Basu, R., Whitson, R., Hawkins, R., Hamilton, T., & Curran, W. (2015). For Slow Scholarship: A Feminist Politics of Resistance through Collective Action in the Neoliberal University. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 14(4), 1235–1259. https://acme-journal.org/index.php/acme/article/view/1058

Honoré, Carl. 2005. In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed. London: Orion Books

Slow academia: booking in deep thinking and slow time as an act of self-care