The Slow Life: Why I’m Not Buying It (And Maybe You Shouldn’t Either)
When enough is really enough.
Are you familiar with Festina lente or “Make haste slowly”, in Latin? It’s one of those phrases that invites pause. The kind of truth that asks for reflection instead of instant agreement. It slows you down just by reading it.
In 1674, the French poet and critic Nicolas Boileau wrote:
"Slowly make haste, and without losing courage;
Twenty times redo your work;
Polish and re-polish endlessly,
And sometimes add, but often take away."
It reminds me of something Coco Chanel once said: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.”
There’s a lesson here… one that transcends fashion and poetry, a deeper rhythm of refinement. Not just about editing, but about restraint. Control. The power of subtraction. The quiet force of doing less, better.
It’s a sentiment that creative people tend to connect with intuitively. Designers, writers, makers, entrepreneurs… we often begin with more than we need. But the real wisdom comes in learning what not to keep, what to let go of, when to edit, how to move forward without adding more noise.
And yet, in today’s world, even that quiet wisdom has been branded. Repackaged. Monetized.
There’s a cultural movement online now and I’m sure you’ve seen it, that talks a lot about slow living, soft living, gentle productivity, calm decor, and mindful mornings. There are aesthetic shots of tea steam and sunshine and the word cozy gets used more often than showing the real truth. And while the visuals are lovely, something about it all makes me pause.
Not with admiration.
But with a little… well… suspicion.
Because here’s what I’m starting to believe, after almost two decades online:
This “slow” movement isn’t slow at all.
It’s just hustle in linen. (I love linen)
It’s beige branding. (and I love beige)
It’s performance. It’s a lifestyle archetype sold to people who are desperate to opt out of burnout, but still feel compelled to keep up. And worse, it’s being sold by people who aren’t actually living it themselves.
I know because I’ve been behind the scenes. I know a lot of the slow living hustlers, I’ve worked with them or been on calls, interviewed them, even stepped into their homes or shops. I’ve watched it unfold.