How many times have you started a project, only to find halfway through that you made a mistake early on and now you need to backtrack and fix stuff? Or think back on when you first started in your career or your business. What do you wish you had known early on that would have helped you get better at what you do faster than you did? Both of those are great examples that most of us can relate to when it would have been better and faster to slow down and figure stuff out before diving in.
When we’re running late or we’re under a tight deadline, our first reaction is to hurry up and gets stuff done as fast as possible. Progress, any progress, is the first goal. The problem is that it’s the wrong mindset and the wrong strategy if you want to get something done quickly. The better way to approach it is to stop, slow down, and think about what you’re doing first. What’s going to be your fastest way to get from point A to point B? What resources can you tap into? Who can you get to help you? If you start by slowing down, you can move much more quickly down the road and reach your goal faster than if you rush headfirst into the situation.
It’s why I highly recommend you spend a little time focusing on slowing down over the coming weeks. Whenever you find yourself rushing, or doing things on autopilot, remind yourself to slow down and question if what you’re doing is the best use of your time. Ask yourself if there’s a better way to do this, and of course, if you should be doing it in the first place.
Whenever you start to take action on a new project, make a plan. Make sure you know where you’re going and what you’re doing. Avoid making mistakes and when you do find yourself making them (and you will), take the time to learn from them. There’s no bigger waste of time and effort than making the same mistake twice.
Ready to embrace slow thinking? Stay tuned for plenty of actionable tips and ideas to help you strengthen that impulse control and make time for deliberate thinking in all areas of your life. You’ll be amazed at what a difference it makes and how it actually helps you get through all your “must-dos” faster so you can get to the fun stuff.
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