Slow Down

Published in the Sunday Vijay Karnataka on 13 April, 2025

I didn’t write my regular articles for newspapers during the months of May and June last year.“Wow! No deadline stress now, let’s have fun!”—that was the feeling. But then when I started writing again, the joy I felt was actually greater than the joy of that break.

"Why are you so busy? Slow down, yaar! Just chill!"—this has become my new guilt feeling lately. Life constantly moves through various phases of guilt. We often find ourselves caught in an inner conflict of whether what we’re doing is right or wrong.

My neighbour Reena and I—like many women in our housing society—are of a similar age. We are "empty nesters". Our kids are out living their lives, and we are living ours. Each one, or each couple, is trying to happily begin this second phase of life in their own way. Some are working jobs, others are in business. The ones with jobs, after retirement, keep themselves busy with consultancy or social work. Those of us in business are gradually handing over responsibilities to the next generation and walking this path with a sense of fulfillment. Yet, the work never ends. The nature of the work has changed, which actually brings more excitement and the urge to try new things.

But what’s happening now is, even at sixty, we are busy Monday to Friday from 10 to 6. After COVID, we decided we wouldn't go to the office on Saturdays. After 35 years of “Karmanye Vadhikaraste”, we finally embraced the reward of Saturday holidays. Yet, the Indian businesswoman in me sometimes feels guilty, because all our offices are open on Saturdays, and the team is super busy. Since it’s the weekend, that’s when most tourists visit our offices, making it a crowded day. Then I wonder, “Our entire team is working today, and I’m at home?”—how unfair! Just old habits, I guess. Whenever a friend calls saying “Let’s go out for lunch”, I instinctively respond, “No yaar, I have office, meetings…”, and feel a twinge of guilt. It takes effort to get past that feeling, but at the end of the day, all is well.

Last year, during May and June, I didn’t write the weekly articles for the two newspapers. “Wow! A writing break. No deadline stress. Let’s enjoy!” But after this month-and-a-half-long writing break, I realized the joy of writing again is far greater than that break. So, was this tiny slow down a good thing, or is the joy of writing under deadlines actually greater for me?

Each article takes at least three hours to write. So what did I really do with all that saved time over those past six weeks? Honestly, those hours came and went. Office work, writing, world travel, OTT entertainment, an occasional lunch out, a movie in the theatre—all that happened before too, and it still continues.

Now that our granddaughter Raya (our Neil and Heta’s daughter) is here, we try to spend at least three days a week with her, cherishing that time. So basically, even though the duties have increased, the work is getting done—better than ever before. I’ve come to believe that the more responsibilities you have, the more organized and efficient you become. Someone once said, “The busiest person can always get the most done.” And that’s something we’ve experienced many times in life.

In November and December 2023, we were in Spain and Italy. After COVID, we saw the tourism industry slowly getting back on track. We decided, “Let’s restart advertorials in newspapers and reconnect with our tourists—that dialogue we had maintained for 25 years but was interrupted by COVID.”

This time, the pattern was different. During the trip, I worked with our marketing team on layouts. One newspaper had to carry a half-page article, and another a full page. Essentially, we had to write for one and a half pages. Amidst that busy business travel—meetings, associate interactions, hotel inspections—we managed to kickstart both article series, and they’ve continued ever since.

Currently, between various newspapers, I write two articles, Neil writes three, and Sunila writes two. My current role is mostly about setting things up and then stepping aside.

Point being, even during that tightly packed Italy-Spain tour, we launched a writing series, started an advertising campaign—all without getting tired or overwhelmed. So yes, we were busy, but we also did more than ever.

I’m still trying to understand the meaning of “Slow down with age.” Slowly, I’ve realized it doesn’t mean completely stopping work or even reducing the pace drastically. It means changing the nature of the work. Earlier, I used to go on tours as a tour manager. If I still continued doing only that, it would be a mistake. But if I can use my 41 years of experience in travel to create something new, then that too is a form of slow down.

Reflecting on the past 41 years, learning from it, applying that learning, observing it neutrally—that’s also part of slowing down. After all, when have we ever had the time to reflect in such a way? Now, by blending new trends with our experience, we can create something new for the younger generation. That, to me, is the true essence of slowing down.

Keeping our curiosity, enthusiasm, and passion alive—feeding them constantly—is what slow down really means. And yes, slow down will look different for everyone. For some, it might mean giving everything up and chanting God’s name—that’s also completely fine. In the second half of life, we should do what brings us deep joy and peace.

Once, I was listening to a podcast by Evan Carmichael. He curates key insights from interviews of successful personalities in one single podcast—doing a great service, really. One quote from Jeff Bezos in that podcast struck me: “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” I went back and listened to it again. Loved it. It was the first time I’d heard such a profound statement.

Curious, I Googled to find out if Jeff Bezos coined this phrase—and discovered that it actually originates from the U.S. military, especially the Navy SEALs. It’s used in their training. They’re told that accuracy, detail, and proper methodology matter more than speed. Once your foundation is strong, everything becomes smoother, and then you move forward faster. But if you rush from the beginning, you may face obstacles or even fail—your work might be delayed or derailed.

American writer Laurell Hamilton has also written, “Slow is steady, steady is smooth, smooth is fast, fast is deadly.” It reminded me of that childhood story of the tortoise and the hare. The tortoise’s slow, steady, smooth, and consistent efforts earned him success. The hare got trapped in overconfidence. He underestimated the other, acted impulsively, lacked planning or precaution—and what was bound to happen, happened. The hare ran at full speed, then slowed down. That was still fine. But then he fell asleep—and that was his mistake.

Slowing down doesn’t mean sleeping—it means taking a calm break, reflecting on your surroundings, and reviewing the past, present, and future. Isn’t that a brilliant theory? We’ve all used it at some point, or still do. They say there’s nothing new in the world; everything is already in the Bhagavad Gita. We just present it differently.

I see two meanings in "slow down."
One is the literal meaning—slow down. For example, while eating: eat slowly, eat less, chew thoroughly. In matters beyond work, don’t rush. Truly enjoy every moment—whether it’s painting, drawing, music, dance, cooking, walking, swimming, reading—whatever you love, experience its joy to the fullest.

Abraham Lincoln beautifully said, “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
It’s in our hands to make every moment, every hour, every day golden.

And the second meaning of “slow down” applies to work. In this case, slowing down is very strategic. This slow down is meant for study, observation, and contemplation—so that the scriptwriting of any task or project is perfect, things move forward smoothly, and we can gain momentum without any hurdles.

“Slow down to go faster” is something that should always stay in our minds—and more importantly, in our actions.