the tortoise & the hare

Latest Episodes:

Rituals: Gratitude Mar 05, 2017

Show notes

In today’s episode Brooke and Ben are wrapping up the simple rituals series with a poggie all about gratitude.

Brooke believes that gratitude gets a bit of a bad wrap, because we see it as an attempt to Pollyanna ourselves out of challenging situations, or to avoid dealing with negative feelings. But she’s a convert to the power of gratitude, and today she and Ben talk about how making it part of your day can not only help you see the positive in your day-to-day life, but also shift your mindset into one of contentment and peace.

They talk about their own approaches to gratitude, as well as some other, practical, non-bragging ways of practising gratitude, including:

taking photos
documenting on Instagram
journalling
Liz Gilbert’s Happiness Jar
nightly ritual of gratitude at the dinner table
thanking your self or your body during meditation, prayer, yoga, exercise

This week’s action is very simple: commit to a daily practise of gratitude. It doesn’t need to be over the top or public, but just take a moment to recognise the wonderful things that have been part of your day - big or small, it doesn’t matter - and then reflect on it.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/140 for a full blog post and show notes, and have a great week!

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If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially.

And thanks so much for listening!

====

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finances, shopping and rediscovering your Why Mar 01, 2017

Show notes

It’s Hostful time! And, like every single month, in today’s episode Ben and Brooke answer some super insightful listener questions:

What impact did slow living have on your finances?
How do you judge if something is necessary and "valuable" enough to warrant purchase?
As your items start to get a bit tatty, when do you replace them? Or do you keep repairing or mending instead?
How does one re-learn oneself?
Other than decluttering, what aspect of slow living do you feel has made the most difference in your family's life?

Some of these topics Ben and Brooke feel relatively confident on, but there are a whole heap of links over at http://www.slowyourhome.com/139 that will point you in the direction of the experts.

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If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially.

And thanks so much for listening!

====

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rituals: 3 Things Feb 26, 2017

Show notes

In today's episode, Brooke and Ben talk through the 'three things' idea. That is, limiting our to-do lists to three main tasks every day, rather than the dozens of items we often put on our lists, despite knowing we will not be able to get them done.

Brooke used to be a big list maker, overwhelming herself with far too many tasks every day, leaving her feeling defeated before beginning, and like a failure when she finished a day having left most of her tasks unfinished. When she made the change to a to-do list of three things only, a few things happened:

She became more productive
She felt less anxious and overwhelmed
She was able to move ahead on more projects because she was committed to taking steps every day, rather than only occasionally

In this poggie Ben and Brooke talk through why they prefer this approach, but also how to try it yourself. You can combine last week's ritual of the Brain Dump with this one, to create a powerhouse ritual of productivity every day!

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/138 for a full blog post and show notes, and have a great week!

====

If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially.

And thanks so much for listening!

====

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One Part Plant with Jessica Murnane Feb 22, 2017

Show notes

A few years ago Jessica Murnane was on the verge of major surgery, a last resort to help manage her endometriosis. After a friend recommended her trying a plant-based diet to alleviate some of the pain, Jessica figured she had nothing to lose. Weeks later she was already feeling better than she’d felt for years and the surgery was put on the back burner.

Over the past few years Jessica has taught herself how to cook (her diet previously consisted of “Sour Patch Kids, Diet Coke, and whatever Lean Cuisine had cheese”) and began to figure out how to navigate the massive changes to her lifestyle without alienating herself or her friends and family. In this episode Brooke and Jessica talk about the One Part philosophy and how small, incremental changes can lead to enormous shifts over time, but also the importance of being patient with ourselves as these changes settle in.

They also talk about the challenges Jessica faced in changing her lifestyle, the benefits of those changes (she still hasn’t had that surgery) and also the recent move from Chicago to Charlston and how a slower paced city has impacted family life.

There’s also a really interesting chat about trends, and how to avoid becoming that annoying person when your lifestyle or passion has its 15 minutes of fame, and Jessica has some brilliant points to make about basically ignoring the BS and doing what feels right for you, regardless of trends.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/137 to see where you can grab a copy of Jessica's new book - One Part Plant!

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If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially.

And thanks so much for listening!

====

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rituals: Brain Dump Feb 19, 2017

Show notes

You know those days where there are too many thoughts, too many ideas and too many tasks zooming around the confines of your brain, all wanting your attention but never sticking around for long enough to be acted upon? Those days where the competing thoughts, ideas, projects, problems, grocery items, packing lists never stop rolling around your head, leaving you tired and prone to procrastination?

In today’s episode Brooke and Ben discuss the Brain Dump. A simple ritual designed to help you get all that low-level anxiety out on to the page, find some mental clarity and use it to move forward in your day.

The Brain Dump is a ritual Brooke uses regularly whenever she’s feeling a little overwhelmed, and in today’s episode her and Ben talk through exactly how she uses it and how it helps her to calm down, find clarity, get mindful and start getting things done.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/136 for a full blog post and show notes, and have a great week!

====

If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially.

And thanks so much for listening!

====

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The simple art of meditation with Kevin Janks Feb 15, 2017

Show notes

In May 2016 Ben and Brooke completed a month-long daily meditation experiment, which proved to be one of the most positive changes Brooke made last year. She’s still an (almost) daily meditator and will talk to anyone and everyone about the massive benefits to be gained from making it a regular part of their day.

But she finds there is a handful of common reasons why people don’t want to try meditation:

they’re skeptical of its usefuness
they dislike the religious or spiritual connotations of the practice
they don’t have time to meditate daily
they’re scientifically minded and want proof of its effectiveness

After meeting Kevin Janks at an event recently and hearing his story, she knew he would be an amazing guest who could help dispel many of these obstacles - because in the past he's used them all himself.

Kevin used to struggle with anxiety as a result of a fast-paced, hectic, successful life, and was introduced to meditation by his partner. Initially very (very) skeptical, Kevin eventually conducted his own meditation experiment and couldn’t deny the positive benefits after only a day or two. Since then he’s travelled to India to study many elements of meditation, and in 2015 opened Centred Meditation - Sydney’s first drop-in meditation centre, right in the CBD.

He now spends his days helping stressed, overwhelmed professionals learn the process of meditation, and sees daily examples of the power of simply being present.

This is such an open, honest conversation and Kevin and Brooke speak about their entry points to meditation, the benefits Kevin has experienced as well as the changes he sees in clients who practice at the studio. They talk about the difference between cynicism and skepticism when it comes to meditation, the value of mindfulness techniques in addition to (or instead of) a formal practise, and the way meditation has impacted both his relationships with others and himself.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/135 for a full blog post, links to lots of meditation resources and show notes, and have a great week!

====

If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially.

And thanks so much for listening!

====

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rituals: Unplugging Feb 12, 2017

Show notes

In today’s episode Ben and Brooke look at a very simple daily ritual that can help you break the habit of constant connection. Learning to unplug regularly not only breaks the social media/procrastination loop, but it also turns our attention elsewhere - to the people nearby, the conversations, the trees, the light, the breeze, the feelings, the sensations. It can also help us sleep more soundly, wake up more refreshed and minimise the lost moments in the morning where we accidentally check every news website and email account before jumping in the shower.

They talk about the benefits of having a screen-free bedroom, as well as how you can actually harness technology to help you become more mindful. They also look at the one simple, daily action you can try this week to help you disconnect, unwind from the day and prepare yourself for a good night’s rest.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/134 for a full blog post and show notes, and have a great week!

====

If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially.

And thanks so much for listening!

====

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to take time off as a self employed person, slow food and dealing with clutter intolerance. Feb 08, 2017

Show notes

Since launching the podcast almost two years ago the hostful Q&As have grown to be one of the most popular each month. Not only does it give you the chance to ask us questions about slowing down, or getting us to dig deeper in to a topic we’ve covered before, but it also gives Brooke and Ben a chance to explore ideas or perspectives they’ve not considered before.

Today is the first hostful Q&A of the year and, as always, there are incredibly insightful questions to answer:

Do you find you are more sensitive to others people’s cluttered homes now you have simplified yourself? Any tips for dealing with clutter intolerance in other people's homes and even our own homes at times?
As I search for my first job after college, I'm noticing most companies lack a work-life balance. Taking care of myself and living a slow life is important to me. Do you have any advice about maintaining a slow living value while searching for a job in a world that operates at a very high speed?
Does slow living apply to how you eat? Do you eat simple meals? Any tips?
I own my own business and your vacation sounded so relaxing. How do you just unplug or set those boundaries to spend time with family without thinking if someone needs something with your business?
I love the sound of your holiday in Japan, and my husband and kids would have an absolute ball. I'd love a lot of it too, but I'd end up spending most of it alone as I have adrenal fatigue. How would you approach this challenge? My ideal holiday right now would involve long, lazy days and plenty of rest, but the kids (7,10 & 11) would be bored silly. How do you think we could find adventurous and fun ways to spend time together that suit all of us?

Brooke and Ben had a lot of fun answering these, and it gave them the chance to talk through topics we’ve not really discussed on the poggie before. To everyone who submitted a question - thank you!

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/133 for a full post and links on how to submit your own question for an upcoming hostful episode.

====

If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially.

And thanks so much for listening!

====

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rituals: Single-Tasking Feb 05, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to the first Monday show of the year! As Brooke and Ben mentioned last week, these Monday episodes are going to be a little different in 2017.

Instead of running one slow living experiment each month, they will be introducing one simple, easy, accessible slow living idea every week. The hope is that it will either give you something to do or something to think about in the days after.

In today’s show they talk about the idea of single-tasking, one of Brooke’s favourite ways to introduce productive mindfulness to people who are too busy to meditate or take time for quiet reflection. It can allow us to keep doing, albeit in a much more mindful way than the overwhelming approach that is multi-tasking, and it often means we do a better job at the same time.

They also talk about why single-tasking is necessary, how to practice it, and what the takeaway action is for the week ahead.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/132 for a full blog post and show notes, and have a great week!

====

If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially.

And thanks so much for listening!

====

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Slow Living in Japan Feb 01, 2017

Show notes

We’re baaa-aaaack!

After taking some much-needed time off to disconnect/reconnect after a busy 2016 though, Brooke and Ben are back in the pogpasting chair and ready for a cracking 2017.

In the first new poggie of the year, they talk about their recent trip to Japan and the unexpected lessons they received in the art of slow living. In this chatty, light-hearted poggie Brooke and Ben talk about what some of those lessons looked like and how they’re already having an impact at home. They also talk about the beautiful ritual of onsen bathing, the benefits of sleeping on traditional Japanese futons and tatami mats and the incredible food they ate.

Head over to http://www.slowyourhome.com/131 for all the links, resources and websites they used when planning and researching their trip, as well as the full blog post.

====

If you're enjoying the show and want to know how to best support it, leave a rating or a review in iTunes or head over to the Patreon page to help support the show financially.

And thanks so much for listening!

====

Join The Tortoise Community: https://brookemcalary.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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