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"Despite its aggravations, many people like being at work," says sociologist Arlie Hochschild of the University of California, Berkeley. They feel more rewarded on the job. Their friends are there; so are their social lives, their support systems. At work, says Hochschild, people feel more appreciated and competent. The result is that families get shortchanged. "Growing numbers of women feel torn, guilty and stressed by their long hours at work, but they're ambivalent about cutting back on those hours."It was that realization that sent Honoré on a quest to fix what he calls his chronic speedaholism. For months he investigated how folks around the globe are trying to fight the 21st century urge to "do more now" and learn to appreciate the "now."
In his book, Honoré describes how his search led him to Bernadette Murphy, a self-described Zen knitter in Los Angeles. He also went to, among other places, the annual conference of the Society for the Deceleration of Time in Wagrain, Austria; an alternative school in Tokyo where students are encouraged to learn at a less suicidal pace than their peers; and Bra, Italy, where he met with advocates of the Slow Food Movement. These folks believe that preparing and enjoying a meal made from locally grown foods is a healthier, saner way to eat than wolfing down pre-fab fast food.
Honoré's conclusion? "The secret is balance, staying calm and unflustered even when circumstances force us to speed up." Easy to say, but how do we do it?
It all starts with rethinking our day. "A big part of slowing down is doing less," he says. Reviewing his schedule, the 37-year-old journalist realized that even a sports fanatic like himself could cut out tennis and still have time to play hockey and read leisurely bedtime stories to his son. He also lopped off time in front of the TV, which Amer-icans, he says, watch as much as four hours a day. (Europeans are not far behind, at three hours.) He describes it as a "black hole of time."
Instead of working nonstop, Honoré now takes 10-minute breaks during the day. He does "speed checks" to see if the quality of the moment could be improved by slowing down. And he's given up meals in front of the TV.
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