Do you run yourself ragged trying to keep up with all the demands of life? Have you found yourself regularly saying there isn’t enough time in the day? Is your life flying by while you feel you are missing out on what matters most? Maybe you are just a little overextended or you feel the need to slow down to make more of your life. In Slow Down, Mama, Patty H. Scott shares her own story of how … story of how she discovered an unsuspected truth. Slowing down held the key to all her deeper longings. In this encouraging book, Patty shares empowering insights and tools to help you live with purpose. You will learn what is at the root of your busyness, how to move past your personal pitfalls and identify your truest purposes, and how to develop and solidify life-givng habits.
Patty’s writing style feels like you are sitting with a good friend over coffee. You will walk away from this book with a personalized plan for living a simpler and more fulfilling life and the encouragement you need to stick with your resolution.
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I don’t why I didn’t think of it sooner, but reading one chapter a day is so much more manageable. I got a little bogged down because I started reading through like normal nonfiction (maybe because of how the Table of Contents was laid out). But I really recommend reading one chapter a day. The 31 chapters will then be like a devotional, and you’ll finish in one month.
I must mention that the editing wasn’t as great as I would have liked. Being a proofreader myself, those little punctuation or formatting errors stand out to me.
I got a lot out of it, but there were also sections that seemed redundant or too personal to be helpful. But the author specifically mentions that since people are different, and different people struggle with different aspects of work and rest, she doesn’t give a list of dos and don’ts that everyone must follow. So it’s more anecdotal with suggestions of what might work. The journal questions at the end of each chapter help to apply the principles to your own life, though it takes a lot of thought to really answer some of those broad questions. And there were a few things I didn’t agree with.
But the few charts to fill in (p.142) and the lists of questions within the chapters are super helpful and practical.
But on the whole, I got more out of it than not and am glad I made the time to finish it. I underlined so many phrases and dog-eared so many pages, that I won’t be able to share all my favorite quotes with you. Here is a sampling:
Favorite quotes:
“My focus has been defined by my planned destination. Purpose helps refine my choices so I don’t end up overwhelmed by irrelevant options.” (p.81)
“Savoring relationships isn’t all bliss and rose-colored living as we watch our children frolic in the waves at dusk on the beach. (Cue romantic Music.) Nope. Nope. Nope. (Cue loud scratch of record player.)” (p.145)
“Another aspect of self-centeredness is self-importance. Just ugh. This is where we are sure things won’t function without us. If we hold this belief long enough and actually act on it consistently, we subconsciously train the people around us to become more inefficient.” (p.182)
“Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean it is yours to do.” (p.198)
“Just because you are comfortable taking the back seat or blending into the background doesn’t mean you don’t matter. Your dreams or goals are as valuable as those of the more vocal people you know.” (p.205)
“For every decision, let’s pause and ask ourselves if we are being fueled by love or fear, it makes all the difference in the world when we know our heart motivation.” (p.239)
“Self-centeredness is a trap. Giving opens the snare of self and allows me to experience joy and freedom as I consider other people and their needs.” (p.308)
“Will you be glad when you reflect back on your life, saying something like, ‘The kitchen was always spotless, and we were the best-dressed family in the church directory,’ or ‘I had more Instagram followers than I had hoped.’? [sic] If not, let’s rearrange the priorities a tad.” (p.320)
“Life is a glorious, limited gift. We can unwrap it and savor the goodness, or we can waste it on all the wrong things, zooming along without purpose and missing what matters most.” (p.320)
“I hope you embrace the holy hidden in the ordinary, [sic] and honor God through your everyday, simple choices to slow and be present.” (p.322)
(I received this book for free from the author. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own, as was my decision to write a review.)
Slow Down, Mama: Intentional Living in a Hurried World, is a beautifully written book from the heart of author Patty H. Scott in a Christian perspective. This book really made me think a lot about my own life and how I sometimes procrastinate and don’t make my time really count. I loved her ideas about making intentional plans with your time, with 90 day plans. There are also great ideas on how to declutter your life and make your time count even when you don’t think there is any time in the day. There are Bible passages within the book, as well as inspirational quotes.
I was blessed with a free copy of the paperback book and I loved it so much that I downloaded a copy to my kindle as well when it was available for a free download. There are questions after each chapter that guide the reader, asking what the reader wants to remember from each chapter. That’s a great way to be intentional and use time wisely to remember what plans you want to use from this book. I will be going back to review my answers to the questions for sure to help me make better use of my time.
Thank you so much to the author, Patty, for providing me with a paperback copy of this book. I truly loved this book and I highly recommend this book to all Christian women.