Rachel Jonat on the Joy of Doing Nothing

The Tortoise with Brooke McAlary

Three-time guest Rachel Jonat of The Minimalist Mom is back! This week brings some real-talk to the topics of slow living as a family, as we catch up on the changes in Rachel and her family’s life since she was last on the show, as well as talk about her new book, The Joy of Doing Nothing. In episode 30, Rachel and her family had just moved to Vancouver from the Isle of Man, and she and Brooke talked about the ways city living and slow living tied in together. In episode 93, the talk turned more specifically to kids and slow living. In today's episode they flip the script entirely, as Rachel and her family have moved away from the city to a small town to live a life with their priorities at the centre.

The decision to sell their condo in Vancouver and buy a house in a small town in the mountains of BC was a well-thought-out one that aligned with the needs of Rachel’s family (and especially her eldest son, who has additional needs), and also her and her husband’s values. She and Brooke talk about the reality of making this decision, what led up to it, and how the change in location has impacted their lives.

Rachel talks about the shift in pace from city to small-town living, which, given her new book, The Joy of Doing Nothing, is utterly relevant. She was working on the book right before she and her husband made the decision to leave Vancouver, and felt inspired by what she was writing about to try and find a life that gave her the time and space she wanted. The book is about slowing down and simplifying, but rather than being about stuff, it focuses on simple, actionable ways to create quiet time for yourself to really unplug and just be. It’s not an extreme approach in any sense, but it definitely taps into that fear so many of us have of not being entertained, distracted or scheduled, and encourages us to hit reset a little more often.

To read more, head over to http://slowyourhome.com/225/ for all the links and resources mentioned, as well as the full blog post.

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