Ever thought that going "slow"at work could help you get more done? No- me neither. We live in a hectic, 24/7 society, full of power-walking workaholics, where Madonna sleeps with a BlackBerry under her pillow and slowing down is for losers. One recent survey by the consumer research firm OTX found that many of us use high-tech gadgets to get 31 hours of work out of a 24-hour day - surely no mean feat. And with smarter phones in the pipeline, we may be able to add another couple of hours to that total. Achieving this might include driving with a Bluetooth earpiece so we can have a conference call while keeping one ear on the radio - and checking the satnav as we go.
So what could be less relevant to the working day than the "slow"movement? This came into being in Italy 20 years ago when fast-food chain McDonalds tried to introduce Big Macs to the Piazza di Spagna in Rome. From this notion sprang the wider "slow"movement, which now includes slow travel, slow shopping and even slow design. But slow working? I don't think so. Call me old fashioned, but that used to be called "going on strike".
In the UK, workers put in the longest hours in Europe, eat the most ready meals and even drink faster than our neighbours. Full-on is the way they like it. What's more, the average British boss is unlikely to warm to employees who suddenly start taking two hours for lunch. However, according to the experts, we're not talking laziness here, but strategies for survival.
"Slow is very important in psychology in general,"says Dr Gail Kinman, a reader in occupational health psychology at the University of Bedfordshire. "It gives you time for recovery from stress. Slowing down means you have time to let your body and mind get back to the baseline.
"If you don't, there is more wear and tear on your cardiovascular system. And eventually, not taking time to do this will have a negative effect on your immune system. Your long-term health may be at risk and you're more likely to burn out early. We see this in football managers and stock exchange dealers."
A lot is the pressure we put on ourselves,"says Kinman. "In the past you would write a letter, get it typed up, then post it. When you had a reply, a few days later, you would think about it before responding."Now we expect ourselves to be in constant communication with others. You need to ask yourself: what do I expect of other people? And what do they expect of me? If you want a nice, long career, get into some good habits now."
Geir Bethelsen, creator of the World Institute of Slowness stresses that slow working doesn't just mean making time to relax - the key is to use your time to relate to colleagues. Bethelsen cites the following "10 commandments for workplace slow": speak to people, smile, call people by name, be friendly and helpful, be sincere, be really interested in people, be generous with praise, be careful with the feelings of others, respect their opinions and always be ready to help.
Słowniczek
skip lunch - darować sobie obiad
surely no mean feat - to całkiem niezły wynik
full-on is the way they like it - lubią się we wszystko całkowicie angażować
time to let your body and mind get back - czas na to, by ciało i umysł powróciły
to the baseline do równowagi wear and tear on your cardiovascular system - eksloatacja układu sercowo-naczyniowego
