Author Mike Donghia argues that chronic rushing usually begins with earlier choices about time, attention and priorities, and says creating more margin in daily life can make routines feel calmer and more manageable.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Living at a constant sprint may feel unavoidable, but author Mike Donghia argues that rushing is often the result of decisions made long before the moment when everything suddenly feels urgent.
In an Aug. 28, 2026, article published by The Epoch Times, Donghia wrote that many frantic moments can be traced to earlier choices about scheduling, sleep, distractions and priorities.
He compared the dynamic to driving too fast and then trying to stop immediately. By the time the problem becomes obvious, the more important decision — choosing the speed in the first place — has already been made.
Donghia’s central argument is that slowing down requires accepting tradeoffs.
People often want more rest, stronger relationships, greater focus and less stress while simultaneously trying to fit more obligations, entertainment and activity into the same amount of time. Donghia said a slower life becomes possible only when people decide which priorities matter most and deliberately give up habits that interfere with them.
For him, that includes recognizing that staying up too late, spending excessive time on a phone and packing too many tasks into a single day work against his goal of having more meaningful time with loved ones.
He outlined five practices that he said have helped him create more margin in his own life.
Start the Day Before You Have To
Donghia’s first recommendation is to wake up earlier than strictly necessary.
Rather than beginning the morning under immediate time pressure, he suggested creating a buffer for a warm drink, reading, light chores or another unhurried activity.
That extra margin changes the character of the morning, he wrote, allowing a person to feel ahead of the day instead of immediately trying to catch up with it.
The same principle applies to appointments.
Donghia’s second suggestion is to leave earlier than necessary.
He acknowledged that punctuality is not one of his natural strengths but said his wife’s preference for arriving early has shown him the benefits. On Sunday mornings, for example, getting to church ahead of schedule gives them time to speak with friends and settle in before the service begins.
Leaving early, in his view, reduces the likelihood that every delay will turn into a crisis.
Focus on One Task at a Time
Donghia’s third recommendation is to stop constantly switching between activities.
He argued that sustained attention can make a day feel less fragmented and even slower, while repeatedly jumping between tasks creates the sensation of being hurried without necessarily improving productivity.
Finishing one thing before moving to the next can also reduce mental clutter because fewer unfinished tasks are competing for attention at the same time.
Unlike some lifestyle changes, Donghia said this practice requires relatively little sacrifice while potentially producing a noticeable improvement in focus.
Make Room for Silence
His fourth suggestion is to deliberately leave some moments unfilled.
Donghia recalled that he once listened to podcasts whenever he had spare time. He eventually concluded that constant stimulation prevented his mind from processing experiences and thoughts that might otherwise surface during quiet periods.
He now uses morning walks as an opportunity to think without deliberately consuming information.
Those quiet periods, he said, often allow unexpected ideas and connections to emerge.
The broader idea is consistent with discussions in Julian Ford and Jon Wortmann’s book Hijacked by Your Brain, which describes how stepping away from constant stimulation can help the brain regulate stress and process experience.
Stop Treating Every Day Like a Checklist That Must Be Finished
Donghia described his fifth recommendation as the most difficult: go to bed even when some tasks remain undone.
Modern culture places heavy emphasis on productivity, and Donghia said many people continually raise the standard for what counts as “enough.”
He did not argue against ambition or hard work. Instead, he suggested that striving becomes counterproductive when a person treats every unfinished item as evidence of failure.
For many people, he wrote, the target is always slightly beyond reach, creating a permanent sense of dissatisfaction.
His alternative is to do meaningful work, stop at a reasonable point and accept that worthwhile tasks can remain for the following day.
Slowing Down Starts With Priorities
Donghia’s argument is ultimately less about time-management techniques than about deciding what matters.
A slower life, in his view, does not happen automatically. It requires choosing certain values over competing demands and then organizing daily habits around those decisions.
He suggested that people often underestimate how much progress they can make when they concentrate their effort on fewer priorities rather than spreading attention across everything at once.
The effects of rushing can extend beyond scheduling.
Separate reports have linked hurried habits with behaviors such as eating too quickly, which can increase choking risk and may interfere with normal eating cues. Those observations do not mean every fast-paced routine causes health problems, but they reinforce the broader point that speed can influence more than productivity.
Donghia’s five recommendations are straightforward: wake earlier than necessary, leave before the last possible minute, complete one task at a time, preserve periods of quiet and accept that some work can wait until tomorrow.
His broader message is that a calmer pace is less likely to come from finding more time than from making different choices about how existing time is used.
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