Life is going at a breakneck pace with parenting, career, adulting and a chaotic timeline. Here’s what I’m doing at 46 to intentionally slow down my life.

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The Star Wars Prequel trilogy sucked. I know this is not breaking news.

In hindsight, it turned out to be collectively better than whatever rushed retconned mess the sequels turned out to be, but I digress.

This is not a newsletter about Star Wars, I promise.

But one of my favorite scenes from the prequel came from Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

Few things were as badass as watching Qui-Gon Jinn decide to just chill out in the middle of an epic lightsaber duel to sit down and get his mindfulness on during the final battle sequence with Darth Maul.

That takes a whole lotta dedication to the craft of being a Jedi Master.

Of course, it didn’t really pay off and he got gutted. But alas, the idea was that Qui-Gon was definitely one with The Force.

Amidst the chase, the Jedi Master had the awareness and patience to slow down.

In order for all of us to make it through life with some sliver of sanity, we must all find that relationship with The Force, too.

And the best way to achieve this is to slow the hell down.

One thing I’d go back in time to tell my hard-charging 20-year old self is that life will get a helluva lot better (and simpler) when you finally embrace a slower pace.

Even when the schedule is slammed and time is limited.

Or even when there’s a Sith Lord on the other side of the door.

Today, I’m going to share some of the things I’ve been practicing to embrace a slower pace and slower life and how you can do the same.

And you don’t have to be a Jedi Knight to realize the benefits, either.

Let’s get into it.

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The hustle culture was strong in my youth

As a Padawan, I was convinced that I needed to get perfect grades in the highest levels of classes.

Do all the things.

Graduate with honors.

Head off to college and graduate on time.

Dive right into my career as a sports anchor.

“This is where the fun begins.”

My first job in television news was in the small market Macon, Georgia.

But I was like Luke Skywalker the entire time: My mind was never on where I was, on what I was doing; always looking instead to the future.

It meant grinding away daily. I worked seven days a week during the football season so I could build a portfolio and finally escape to a bigger and better market with bigger and better pay.

High achievers and high performers can easily fall into this trap (and if you’re reading this, you’re likely in that category … you don’t have to be a Fortune 500 entrepreneur to be “a high performer“).

We never take time to slow down.

Instead, you’re probably doing something similar:

• Feeling guilty for taking any time off from career
• Always stacking productivity by multitasking
• Even a walk has to include some kind of audiobook or podcast so you can “catch up” and “never miss out”
• Mornings become this epic quest to find “optimal productivity” and you feel lazy for even thinking about just relaxing to start your day

If this is you, too: Don’t you feel like a hamster … just endlessly pounding away on that spinning wheel of suck?

When you don’t take intentional action to slow down, your body will force you to do so.

Usually by making you sick.

From grade school to university to that first journalism job in Macon, through my time in public relations, and then fitness, I was charging ahead at that kind of a breakneck pace.

My body would find ways to fight back.

There was the chest pain episode during my first job in PR that landed me in the ER (it was a panic attack).

And then came the crash at the age of 43.

It was this blunt wake up.

An interruption in the action that forced me to pause and ask myself: What the hell was I doing with my life?

If I wasn’t careful, I was going to miss it.

I’d miss the youth of my kids because I was exhausting so much energy to provide for them.

But, I had to give them a better life than I had as a child, right?

Because, I grew up on food stamps and working part-time jobs in high school to help my dad pay rent. And it was my mission in life to ensure my kids didn’t have that same experience. I had to work tirelessly and relentlessly to avoid that timeline.

But at what cost? My own mental sanity?

My friend, we only get one shot at this. And by all measures, we are about halfway through that shot.

Choose to slow down, you must

One thing I’ve learned from all of this is the importance of prioritization … by protecting my calendar.

Because in reality, when you’re saying “yes” to one thing, you’re saying “no” to something else.

Usually that something (or someone) else is you.

Which means it’s time to step into your “out of effs to give” era and be okay saying no and turning down social obligations, projects, or even people sometimes. Introverts rejoice.

How I’m trying to slow down my life with these systems

A slower pace means just that: Slowing the hell down. Being more mindful; more present in the moment.

Doing fewer things

I used to be a multitasker … by force.

As Sports Director of my first job in television news, I had to produce, write, shoot, edit and present my entire nightly sportscast. All by myself.

I did not have a team running cameras, editing and producing for me. It was just … me.

That’s a lot of hats to juggle.

The brain is not meant to multitask. Switching back and forth from task to task drains your minds’ ability to get into a deep focus and perform at your best.

And as a result, the quality of your work will likely fall off somewhere.

Now that I’m running my own business on my own time and terms, I’m really focusing on single-tasking.

One priority project at a time.

And I’m no longer stacking my To Do list like a CVS receipt. Instead, my day is broken down into a 2-Do List:

I pick 1-2 priorities for my day. And I block out any and all distractions to get those things done with high quality.

Everything else can wait.

I’ve never been more productive in my life.

Slow mornings

I used to charge right into my morning with important (or deep) work. There were the cold showers and the interpretive dance or whatever all the gurus preached.

It just stressed me out when I had 27 different steps to optimize my morning productivity.

I finally said screw this and simplified it.

Now my morning is about gradually ramping up my energy. Protecting my peace and sanity.

No phones in the morning.

I’ll go for a brief walk.

Do some light mobility for a few minutes.

Maybe a little meditation or deep breathing.

And I’ll read a few pages of a book (usually nonfiction in the mornings) until my Interns emerge from their slumber.

Then, of course, coffee.

But usually that’s about it.

It’s slower. More mindful. More peaceful. And far more enjoyable.

Put the phone away (Disconnect)

About a year ago, I realized that my screen time was an embarrassingly high number. Especially after doomscrolling post-election.

I had to change.

So I started what I call the “Landline Method” for keeping my phone out of reach:

When I’m home, the phone stays in one place. If I need to use the phone for anything (call, text, comment on TikTok, find a random recipe, etc), I have to physically go to my phone and stay there until I’m done.

No more walking around the house with my phone attached to my hip.

I removed most notifications, got rid of most social media, and kept only essential apps on the phone’s homescreen.

And I worked to replace my habit of grabbing my phone out of boredom and reaching for a book instead.

I was able to cut my phone usage by close to 70 percent this way. Far less anxiety. 

Pocket notebook

I’m an old school pen-to-paper guy, which is why I love having my pocket notebook.

Whenever a random idea or thought crosses my mind, I’m able to capture it.

No more hoping I’ll remember the epiphany later when I can type it out.

My to do lists are on paper. I journal every day with a notebook and pen.

It’s a forced slow down to write by hand. You’ve got to slow down and be present to write by hand.

And bonus points: Research shows that handwriting helps you retain information better than typing.

Walking without my phone

Resist the urge to multitask your self-improvement.

You don’t have to load up your daily walk with a bunch of audiobooks and podcasts.

I’ve been going for walks with just me and my thoughts. Really focusing on being present while I do so.

There are so many things that I started discovering in my neighborhood as a result of being present enough to notice them.

Reading more books

Few things will force you to slow down more than just embracing a good book and getting wrapped up in it.

I like to read two books at a time. One for nonfiction and then another fiction book for great storytelling.

It’s quickly replacing my doomscrolling habit.

I’m learning more.

And I’m finally breaking from the red-pilled ideology that a man should be constantly reading nonfiction and personal growth nonsense all the damn time.

It’s okay to read more fiction.

Be present

Washing the dishes. Challenge yourself to really slow down with each dish and focus on what it is that you are doing.

1) Eat slower. It takes the body an average of 20 minutes to signal to the brain that it is full and satisfied from a meal. Yet most of us scarf our food down so quickly that we end up being overstuffed. Challenge yourself to take a good 20 minutes at mealtime to finish.

Slow it down.

Actually taste your food and savor each and every bite.

2) In the shower. Resist the urge to escape to the future or dwell on the past.

You don’t have to plan your entire life or map out your next project in the shower. You can just … be.

3) Working out. I’ll often just train with no background music. It gets me locked in to each rep in a different sort of way.

Stop multitasking. You don’t actually handle multiple things at once. In reality you are task-switching. Each time you switch tasks, there’s a mental reset that requires several minutes to recalibrate. As a result, you’re wasting time, you’re more error-prone and are far less creative.

Do one thing at a time.

Patience you must have, my friend

It takes a lot of practice and awareness to bring a slower pace into your life.

It’s not easy.

And it will be an ongoing battle.

But like any healthy habit, it’s all about putting in the reps consistently.

Over time, those reps will add up.

If you want to finally break free of the burnout, to settle down and find a bit more enjoyment and fulfillment in life, then you should find ways to clear your mind daily.

Be more mindful throughout your day. Every day. Slow it down.

I hope you found this useful. If so, I’d appreciate it if you sent this newsletter to one person you think would benefit from my writing today.

And if you’re new here and enjoyed this newsletter, I’d be honored if you subscribed for more at this link.

And as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “slow down my life” and I’ll answer any questions you have to make this work for you.

Until next time,
Pete