Are you ready to live

a simpler life?
9 exercises to guide you
towards a more intentional life
beyond the hamster wheel.

live slow run far

workbook
 We’re so very happy that you’re reading these words right
now, as that means you’ve not only joined our community by
subscribing to our newsletter but also showed interest in a
more intentional way of living. Downshifting is a broad term
- it sure doesn’t have to mean you’re getting ready to go off grid but
encompasses any and all changes where you choose to seek and find
life quality, intention and contentment beyond current norms. Where
you reevaluate what makes you happy, but also reconsider what your
true needs actually are. And where you take a moment to think about
what kind of footprint your personal lifestyle leaves behind.

We live in a world where big, fast, grand and far away all equal the
better choice and signal success. We would like to argue that we would
be happier, personally, and that our planet would be in a much better
place if we could bring more nuance to what defines a “good life”.

This workbook is meant to plant some seeds in you. Help you dream big,
carve your own path and find what the ideal life looks like for you. It
may not hold all the answers (there’s no need - because you do) but has
instead been put together in order to get you to think and ponder your
options. No, everyone might not have an “upshifted” life to downshift
from - but many of us do. And the world would be in significantly better
shape if those “many” changed a thing or two about how we do life.

Enjoy this little book of thinking exercises, and be well.

Sophia and Michael

Goals of this workbook

Determine what you really want from life and what’s

stopping you from getting there.
Find out what truly makes you happy and gives you
energy versus what drains you.
Review your finances and establish where you can save
money.
Peek into the future and see what life could be like, if
you were to choose a different path.
 1. Quick fire questions

Answer in just one or two words what immediately pops into your
head when you read the following questions.

1. What is your happy place?

2. What is your dream job?

3. If you could change one thing in your life tomorrow, what

would that be?

4. Whose judgment do you fear the most?

5. Name something that you know is a waste of time but you do

it anyway.

6. What is something you spent money on recently that wasn’t

neccessary?
 2. What makes you happy?

List up to 10 free (or almost free) things unrelated to consumption

that make you genuinely happy.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.
 3. What brings you down?

Ponder and list up to 10 things that you often complain about in life
or don’t like about your current situation.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.
4. What can I gain by shifting down?

List up to 10 things that a downshifted, more intentional life would

do for you, i.e. more time to excercise, get a dog, keep a garden etc.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.
 5. Dream big!

How would you live if no one was watching? This is where you let go
of all preconceived ideas and perceived expectations. Where would
you live? What would your home be like? How would you make mon-
ey? What would you do in your free time? What would your perfect
Saturday look like? What would your priorities be?
 6. What’s holding you back?

What is currently stopping you from shifting down?

What are some of your fears or concerns about a slower, less

consumption centered life?

What is the worst that could happen if you gave it a go?

 7. Dissect your finances

Using the below chart, first fill out all the monthly expenses you can’t
escape (food, utilities, rent etc.) and then add the total amount of
spendings at the bottom. Repeat for the past three months. What is
the difference? Then move on to the second page of this exercise. List
all of the things you spent money on the past three months beyond
those neccessary expenses. Were those things needed? What do they
give back to you? As a last step, review the expenses you can’t escape.
Is your food budget too high? Could you get by with a car that has
smaller monthly payments? Etc.

Month 1 Month 2 Month 3

Mortgage/Rent
Utilities
TV/Internet
Cell phone
Food
Transportation
Insurances
Loan Payments
Medical

Total
Total Spent
Difference
List all the things you spent money on beyond the neccessary expenses
you provided on the previous page.
 8. A peek into the future

What does a perfect day in life look like 10 years from now? Let your
pen go crazy. Where do you wake up, what’s the weather like, what
do you have for breakfast, how do you spend your day? Draw up
what a typical day would be like from sunrise to sunset, including
everything from meals and whom you’re with to how you spend each
part of the day.
 9. Next steps

Where do you go from here? Hopefully, you’ve taken the time to think
through all the questions in this workbook, and if you have, you’ve
already done the hardest part, determining WHAT you want from a
downshifted life. Let all your answers sink in and spend the next few
days pondering what is truly important to you and what you can
change in order to live the life you want.

First thing first though - let’s start somewhere manageable. Challenge

yourself to make one small change in your life today (or tomorrow)
that will open up more time or money for you to do something else
that makes you happy.

Thank you!

We hope that you’ve found this workbook helpful and that we

have been able to help you get started on your journey towards
a simpler life. If you have any questions, just want to say hi or
tell us that we are crazy and should get real jobs, please reach
out to us on Instagram or through our blog.

All the best,

Sophia and Michael

@liveslowrunfar

liveslowrunfar.com

info@liveslowrunfar.com