You want to make changes right now, but you can’t launch a complete overhaul. So how about implementing some simple, everyday ideas that will serve as speed bumps? These ideas will slow you down and offer a moment’s pause in your daily routine.

Print off the list and work your way through some of these. They might seem insignificant, but they help us become more aware of the pace of our activities. Just try one at a time and practice it for a few days.

• Talk slower.
• E-nun-ci-ate each word.
• Pause at the end of sentences.
• Drive the speed limit. Set your cruise control to keep constant, especially in 30 mph and school zones.
• Accelerate slowly when the light turns green. Try to keep your rpms under 2,000.
• Let others go first off the elevator. Practice saying, “After you.”
• Chew each bite at least 20 times.
• Eat with a smaller fork.
• Lie in a hammock.
• Take a deep breath. Blow it out–slowly, of course. Now do it again. Ahhhhh…..
• Yawn (but make sure your boss can’t see you).
• Stretch.
• Minimize meals-in-motion this month; sit down to eat.
• Set down your fork between bites.
• Say grace at every single meal.
• Print out a clip-art turtle. Tape it to your dashboard.
• Instead of a bagel on the run, prepare oatmeal overnight in the crock pot and enjoy a hot breakfast.
• Eat dinner at home one more night each week than you normally do.
• Go to the library one evening. Settle into a comfy chair and read stories to each other until closing.
• Set the table with nice dinnerware and cloth napkins. Light some candles. Play soft music.
• Smile and look your child in the eye for at least the count of ten. What precise color are his eyes?
• Watch the sun set.
• Break your bread at meals, silently acknowledging that the Lord’s body was broken for you (not pretending communion—just an everyday reminder of His sacrifice and presence).
• Stargaze. Everybody lie down on blankets in the yard and find the Big Dipper.
• Ask somebody a question. Then stop. Listen. Let her talk.
• Bake cookies and take some to neighbors. Invite them for a visit, if they have the time.
• Sip tea.
• Go for a stroll. Meander.
• Fold an origami zoo, learning techniques alongside your kids.
• Skip rocks across a pond.
• Change to comfortable clothes at the end of the work day. Wear sneakers–or slippers.
• Read a poem aloud at breakfast. No rushing, even if it’s a snappy little limerick.
• Go to bed an hour earlier tonight.
• Drop everything and read two books to your toddler…or ten.
• Long commute with the kids? Turn off the radio. Interact.
• Declare a Single-Task Day—for one day, focus on one task at a time. Refuse to multi-task.
• Take a bath.
• Always have a puzzle in the works. Stop and place a few pieces.
• Fold newspaper boats with the kids and sail them in a nearby stream (clean up the soggy remains).
• Take a nap. Send the kids to nap, too, even if they’re 14 years old.
• Light a fire in the fireplace, if you have one. Sit in front of it. Snuggle with somebody.
• Schedule an in-house spa night with friends. Soak your feet in bath salts.
• Hang a bird feeder and keep it filled. Take time to watch the visitors.
• Consolidate errands and buy less.
• Instead of text-messaging or e-mail, pick up a phone and chat.
• Never run to answer the phone. *
• Eliminate “hurry” from your vocabulary. *
• Make eye contact. *
• Get outside every day. *
• Spend a few minutes in prayer every day. *
• Record everyday moments, like something your toddler says. *
  * (these suggestions found at It’s All About Love)

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