The best way to use time is to do fewer things but to give them your full attention, energy and even love. We end up cramming our schedules with activity and stimulation in the false belief that this is the best way to make use of our time. This leads us into putting quantity before quality. We see time as a bully to be feared or conquered, or as a limited resource that we must rush to exploit as fast as possible. We have a such a neurotic relationship with time. The secret is to live more fully, by giving our full attention to every moment and every act. It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting.

Living in the moment, being present, being mindful. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. Savouring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. It's about creating a world that is happier, healthier and more humane. It's about forging deep and meaningful bonds with other people. But it is much deeper than just doing things more slowly. It’s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. Slow is a reaction against the diktat that faster is always better. We are racing through our lives instead of living them. The irony is that by turning every moment of the day into a race against the clock, we are wasting time on a grand scale.

We are so marinated in stimulation and distraction, we are so afraid of wasting time, that we find it hard to unplug, slow down and focus. We’re constantly pushed to do more and more with less and less time. What’s the philosophy behind the Slow Movement? As the world’s leading expert on the power of Slow, he’s leading a cultural revolution towards happiness and health by disputing the notion that faster is always better. In his international best seller, In Praise of Slow, Carl examines fast-paced living and it’s contrast, the rising global trend toward slowing down. He believes Slow is a way of being, an attitude towards life and a state of mind. Carl Honoré is a London-based writer, speaker and godfather of the Slow Movement.

Carl honoré in praise of slow