Sometimes faster is slower

It’s easy to make the assumption that the faster you go, the more effectively you’ll be able to use your time. From fast food restaurants to high-speed computers to overnight delivery services, there is a lot of focus in our culture on doing things increasingly faster. And it makes sense, of course. The faster you’re able to do something, the more you’ll be able to get done in a given amount of time.

At some point, though, that reasoning breaks down. Yes, it’s great to be able to get a package delivered the next day, or to send a document instantly over the Internet. But what if, in your rush to get the package off, you fail to put the right items in it? What if, knowing that you can instantly send the document, you procrastinate and don’t begin working on it until the last minute, and it is filled with errors?

In an attempt to do something more quickly you can actually end up using more time. Rushing through a task tends to create a lot of mistakes. And those mistakes can take a lot of time to correct. In addition, when you rush through your work you skim over a lot of great opportunities for developing a deeper understanding of what you’re doing. In your haste to use your time more efficiently, you miss out on the chance to use it effectively. And what if you’re going so fast you don’t even realize when you’ve arrived, zooming right on past your destination?

Making more effective use of time does not necessarily mean going faster. To gain speed, you often must sacrifice focus and thoughtfulness. By rushing to do it faster, you may overlook many ways in which you can do it better. By slowing down a little bit and really thinking about what you’re doing, you’ll avoid mistakes and add quality. You may very well be able to make more progress more quickly by slowing down the pace for a while. And you’ll have the added benefit of not feeling as rushed.

Is there some way you can get ahead faster by slowing down? Think about it. Don’t just assume that going faster gets you where you want to be faster. Consider going a little more slowly and thoughtfully, and make faster, more meaningful progress than ever before.