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It’s not a particularly long book. But whereas I read fiction, often, in large chunks, I tend to take non-fiction more slowly. Which, I suppose, is an appropriate way to read a book about eliminating hurry. And there’s a lot to think about in this book. It’s not a new theme; I’ve read other books with similar ideas, such as ‘The life you’ve always wanted’ by John Ortberg (a writer whom John Mark Comer references several times), or ‘Finding God in the fast lane’ by Joyce Huggett. But it’s a topic worth perusing regularly, in my opinion.
I say that as someone who - unlike the author - is far from a Type A ‘driven’ personality. However, I can undoubtedly become stressed when things are not working well, or when I need to be somewhere and am late. I definitely choose the shortest queue at a supermarket. And I can all too easily become distracted or caught up with online links, or social media, or forums, or puzzles… not that there’s anything wrong with these things, necessarily. But they can fill my mind, and stop me from doing what might be more important.
Critics have pointed out that this book does not give the gospel message, and that’s true. But it’s not intended as an evangelistic book. Instead it assumes a basic faith, and that readers really would like to follow the way of Jesus. As part of that, the author proposes that it’s best to spend more time in what matters: in worship, and prayer, and with people we love. After some background in the early chapters, including saying, many times, that he often finds himself caught up in hustle and hurry, he gives what he calls four basic principles that can help us in reducing hurry from our lives.
The first is what he calls ‘solitude and silence’ - the importance of spending time, if only a few minutes, away from distractions and noise and conversation. Even the most extraverted, outgoing person needs time to think, to concentrate on God, to ponder what the Holy Spirit might be saying. He also acknowledges that, for many, this is often an unrealistic ideal. For people working every hour just to make a basic living wage, or for hassled mothers with several small children, for instance, silence may never be an option. For me, solitude and silence are a regular part of my life: I can’t get by without a good amount of time on my own. But it’s good to be reminded to be intentional about my use of such time.
The second principle the author gives is what he calls ‘Sabbath’. He distinguishes this from a ‘day off’, when we might clean the house or do some shopping. He describes, instead, something that’s lost in the 21st century for almost everyone. He isn’t suggesting something rigid, full of rules and regulations, but a period - ideally 24 hours, sundown to sundown - when everyone in the household switches off their phones and other devices, and spends time intentionally doing things they enjoy. He gives some examples from his own household, and says that it’s his favourite time of the week.
But, again, he also understands that it’s not something everyone is able to do. And the principle is good: that of spending time, deliberately, with those we care about, without scrolling on phones or checking every alert. It’s something I’ve had to make an effort to do over the past few years: going for a walk, playing board games, perhaps watching a film together. Two or three hours every evening doesn’t equate to one 24-hour period, but it’s still helpful. And taking intentional longer breaks and holiday/vacation is also a good thing, even though - once again - not everyone has the resources to do so. The point is not to be lazy or to give up work and chores, but to take time to rest and recharge, which can help us concentrate and work better at other times.
The third principle is simplicity, something I agree with in theory; we are far from minimalist in our house, but try not to keep things we no longer need or want. The culture and circles I live in don’t seem overly materialistic to me. I haven’t really come across some of the things the author mentions, such as the desire for more and more acquisitions, or the feeling of never being satisfied.
The final principle is that of slowing down - of teaching ourselves to deal with frustrations and delays, seeing them as ways to lean on God, or perhaps to converse with others around us. The author gives a list of what he calls ‘gamifying’ ways that people might slow down - I couldn’t relate to some of them, since I don’t drive and don’t know anyone stupid enough to send texts while driving. I try to limit my time on email, social media etc, and I don’t watch any television - just a few hours a week watching DVDs with my husband, as a shared, intentional activity.
So I’m probably not the target audience of the book; yet there’s still a lot in it which struck me. I don’t find it easy to live in the moment; my mind and imagination are usually somewhere entirely different. I need to read this kind of book every so often to remind me to slow down my mind, and to concentrate on one thing at a time.
The style of writing is quite informal, with big paragraph gaps (and some pages with an annoyingly huge font). This makes the book seem longer than it is - and it could probably have been rather shorter to say the same kind of thing. But I quite like this chatty style, and the feeling of sitting and listening to the author in a relaxed way.
My only specific gripe with the book is the author’s claim that in 417 hours most people could read 200 books. He proposes this over the course of a year, citing research that suggests that most people read between 200 and 400 words per minute. Something is wrong with the arithmetic. The average, according to what I’ve seen, is more like 250-300 words per minute. But even 400 words in a minute would be just 24,000 in an hour, or 48,000 in two hours. Most books intended for adults have around 80,000 - 100,000 words, so the fastest of readers would take four hours; for people who read nearer 250 words per minute (and, according to the theory of the book, slowing down is generally a good thing…) it would take at least six hours.
I was also a bit puzzled by some statistics quoted, such as the number of hours people watch television, on average, or spend on their phones or social media. References are cited and I assume they are correct, but they don’t reflect the habits of people I know.
I realise that this book is not for everyone. Even those, like me, who liked it will find plenty that isn’t relevant, or doesn’t match with our personal experience. But I would recommend it anyway; the principles are, I think, sound and there are some nuggets of wisdom and common sense which are well worth pondering, and perhaps, where possible, pursuing.
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