A Book That Takes Its Time ─ An Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness

From Flow, the groundbreaking international “magazine that takes its time,” comes the first big book in a publishing partnership that celebrates mindfulness, creativity, beautiful illustration, a love of paper, and life’s little pleasures. Flow is unique for a magazine in how it mixes articles, inspiring quotes, and what the editors call “goodies”—bound-in cards, mini-journals, stickers, posters, blank papers for collaging, and more—giving it a distinctly handcrafted, collectible feeling.

A Book That Takes Its Time is both a book about mindfulness and a book that literally inspires mindfulness. It’s like a meditation retreat between two covers. You can’t hurry through it; it’s the anti-page-turner. It’s a book that makes you stop to savor, play with, and appreciate all the lovely and interesting detours that hands-on activities provide. Read an article on the benefits of journaling—then come to “The Joy of One Thing at a Time Notebook” tucked into the book. An essay on the power of being grateful is followed by pages of illustrated “Beautiful Moments” cards to fill in, punch out, save, and revisit. Suddenly being grateful becomes a habit.

Readers will learn hand-lettering, the basics of collaging, even how to meditate while running. There’s never been a book like A Book That Takes Its Time, a book that mixes reading and doing, to help readers live a more thoughtful life and have so much fun in the process.

Irene Smit and Astrid van der Hulst are the cofounders and creative directors of Flow magazine, a popular international publication packed with paper goodies and beautiful illustrations that celebrates creativity, imperfection, and life's little pleasures. They both live outside Amsterdam.