It’s been awhile since I’ve shared a book review on the blog, but this gem needs to be shared. It REALLY makes you stop in your tracks and think deeply about the pace of life at which you operate, how you spend your time (the one resource we have that is equal for everyone), and how distracted we all are!
If you haven’t heard of or read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, you are missing out! While I am a Christian, and this book was written by a pastor, I truly believe the content within these pages can and will impact anyone who chooses to read it, regardless of your religious beliefs.
It is very eye opening and convicting.
It emphasizes the point that HURRY sabotages our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves!
I’m not sure I’ve read any other book (outside of Brene Brown’s masterpieces) where I underlined, highlighted or wrote notes on nearly every page. Maybe common sense, but very compelling.
I’ve tried to be much more intentional with how I spend my time. Instead of browsing social media and binging Netflix, I’m doing my best to read more books. But, it is HARD to make this habit a consistent discipline, because we live in the age of digital distraction and it’s addicting!
5 statistics from this book that made me stop, sit, & reflect:
- “The average American spends 705 hours on social media each year.”
- “The average I-phone user touches his or her phone 2,617 times a day.”
- “The average American watches 2, 737 hours of TV each year.”
- “The average guy spends 10,000 hours playing video games by age 21.”
- “A survey from Microsoft found that 77 percent of young adults said when nothing is occupying their attention, the first thing they do is reach for their phone.”
____________________________________________________________
Our society is built around the twin gods of accumulation and accomplishment. We’ve been marketed to, over and over, creating the notion that the faster you check off your to-do list and the more you acquire, the happier we all will be. Except, our desires are never fulfilled.
We live in a chronically fast-paced culture, where productivity, efficiency, & striving, to do it all, is glorified. Move faster. Think quickly. Hurry up! Slow is bad. Fast is good. Faster is better.
Most people move about in such a hurried pace, leaving us restless, distracted, and disconnected…often empty (spiritually & emotionally). Our desires are rarely met/satisfied. We constantly aim to do and fit in more, rushing our way through life, at the expense of our health and well-being. Yet, research shows, there’s zero correlation between hurry & productivity!
The more hurried we become, the less aware we are. Our focus and attention span dwindles (currently less than that of a goldfish) and we aren’t able to fully attend to the present moment. We waste so much TIME , the one resource that is equal for everyone…24 hours.
5 excerpts from this book that are worth mentioning:
- “We live with chronically unsatisfied desires. No matter how much we see, do, buy, sell, eat, drink, experience, visit, etc., we always want more.”
- “Everything is being intentionally designed for distraction and addiction. Because that’s where the money is.”
- “The new normal of hurried digital distraction is robbing us of the ability to be present.”
- “The second we feel even a hint of boredom coming on, we reach for the appendages that are our smartphones – check our news feed, answer an email, search for a new pair of shoes, slay at Candy Crush..”
- “Your life is the by-product of your lifestyle. By life I mean your experience of the human condition, and by lifestyle I mean the rhythms and routines that make up your day to day existence.”
_____________________________________________________________
So, do you find yourself, like me, on the hustle bus…but you’re running out of gas? I know our lives weren’t meant to be lived out this way. Do you want to be a better parent, spouse, friend, neighbor or leader? I hope you can carve out some time this year to slow down, eliminate hurry, and find deeper connection with God and those all around you! I truly believe we all will lead more meaningful and fulfilling lives this way!
