Introduction
I will attempt to provide a short summary of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, as there are probably more in-depth summaries out there, depending on how deep you want to dive into the book. Rather, I will focus on takeaways that resonate deeply with me and what I think of the book, exploring how I can apply it to my life. I will also preface this by saying that I like to read books, but when someone asks me what I think of a book, I say it’s good and can give 1-2 sentences about what I’ve read. Therefore, I am writing summaries of the books I’ve read and the takeaways from them.
Summary of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
We live in an age where everything is so hurried, and everyone is living in a constant state of rush. People move from one task to the next and feel pressured to do everything at once under time constraints. The book does not tell us we cannot be busy. It does not tell us that we should live the lives that monks live and go up to a mountain for the rest of our lives (unless you want to do that, of course; if you do, please let me know how it goes). The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry opposes being in a state of hurry, not a state of busyness. You can still be busy without doing everything in a hurry. What does that look like? It looks like approaching tasks with calmness and peacefulness, not doing them in a state of anxiety and rushing to get to the next thing. Furthermore, having unhurried lives extends beyond our work.
It is about how we live our lives. We have 24 hours in a day. We sleep for 8 hours and have 16 remaining hours to use our time. How are we using our time? I admit that I am not the best at using my time well. When Saturday rolls around, sometimes I end up watching 3-4 football games at a time because there’s nothing else to do (although that is false, there is always something else to do). I have been more intentional with how I am using my time, although I am still not perfect. How many times do I pick up my phone to see that no one has messaged me? A lot. So what is the solution to stop living busy lives in today’s modern age, when everything is so fast-paced?
“Here’s my point: the solution to an overbusy life is not more time. It’s to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters.” — John Mark Comer
What does that look like in practice, and what does he suggest?
Four things:
- Silence and Solitude: Reflection and quiet time without distractions
- Sabbath: Observing the Sabbath, a day without work
- Simplicity: Figuring out what really matters, cutting down on unnecessary activities
- Slowing: Intentionally slowing down and not being super efficient in ALL areas of life (something I am struggling with)
He ultimately looks at Jesus’ life as an example of the way we should live. Jesus lived an unhurried life. He was intentional with His time, making space for people. He slowed down and did not rush from one thing to the next. He spent time in the morning to pray and spend time with His Father because He knew that was important. The book ultimately encourages its readers to live an unhurried life, something that is challenging in today’s world.
My Thoughts and How It Relates to Me
I am guilty of living a hurried life. I have always tried to take the most efficient angle in life, whether it comes to cleaning dishes or doing work, trying to dissect and get down to the fundamental solution of: What is the most efficient way that I can do this, so I can do it in the least amount of time?
I quit social media two years ago, and it has changed my life. The only thing I have is LinkedIn, and I blocked LinkedIn because I found myself doomscrolling when I am bored. I am learning that life is more beautiful when I slow down and intentionally take time to do things.
One of the most life-changing experiences I’ve had was when I went on a college trip during the summer (to get credits). Unlike other college classes, we were each given a packet. As we rowed and traveled for 7 days without bringing tech, I was forced to live with my own thoughts for 7 days (scary, right?). I am not a journaling guy and did not used to journal, so each day began like this: We would wake up early for breakfast, spend 3 hours with Jesus, do lunch, spend another 4-6 hours with Jesus, then have dinner. One of the days, my friend, professor, and I woke up at 5 am to go on a run and jump into Lake Michigan, where the water was freezing, and the temperature was probably below 0. That was my ADHD brain talking—now we’re right back on track.
That week was the most stress-free, anxiety-free, peaceful, and calm week I have ever experienced. It was freeing, beautiful, and I had a lot of time with Jesus. I know that it is not feasible to do for an entire week, as I have responsibilities, and I’m sure you do too, but what if we did it for a day? What if we set Sunday aside to completely disconnect from the world—no tech, no nothing—and just spent some time with friends and Jesus? I have not done that, but I am going to do that soon and put it into practice. Just take a day to disconnect from the world and spend large amounts of time unhurried, being present with people.
There are a lot of things I can take away from the book. One thing I have done is wake up at 5 am to read my Bible. Am I consistent at waking up at 5 am? Definitely not. I sometimes sleep in. I feel like a couch potato when I don’t wake up at 5 am. I want to build this habit into my life and sleep earlier as well. It gives me a lot of time before my day starts—an hour to spend time with the Lord, which has been amazing when I do that. I am constantly bombarded by responsibilities, sometimes even with work and working extra, something that I am trying to cut down on.
I know that it is hard to live intentional, unhurried lives when the whole world is telling us to be busier and have more things to do all the time. But when we look at Jesus, that’s how He lived His life. He was unhurried, spent vast amounts of time with His Father and His friends, and lived an amazing life. I want to embody that, and I hope you can take away some things from this blog.
Prompts for you if you choose to engage:
Reflect on how “hurried” your life is right now. Which areas of your life are you doing great in when it comes to slowing down? Which areas of your life are you not doing as well in when it comes to slowing down?
What are some habits that you can start, and which practices are you going to incorporate into your daily life to intentionally choose to live a more unhurried life?
Are there things in your life that you are going to start cutting out to enable you to fully live the life that Jesus wants you to?
Ask yourself: Why are you doing certain things, such as but not limited to Instagram? How much screen time are you spending? Why are you on Instagram, and what are you hoping to get from it? Is it just to pass the time, or does it fulfill another purpose?