You’re putting a lot of time and effort into cultivating a slow thinking habit. Most of us start out doing it for ourselves. It feels good to take our time and become more thorough in our thoughts. Slow thinking also helps us make fewer mistakes. In short, it benefits us in the short and long run. But we aren’t the only people who will benefit from these efforts. Before you know it, people around you will start to notice a difference in how you act and what you do. Let’s look at how the practice of slow thinking helps people like your boss or business partner, your customers and clients, and of course your spouse and kids.
The first thing our boss is likely to notice is that you’re making fewer mistakes and that the quality of your work improves. Don’t be surprised to get more recommendations and even promotions as a result of this new-found skill. You are becoming a better, more skilled version of yourself when you take the time to think things through and come up with the best solution. You may run into a little resistance at first when it takes you longer to get started on a new project, but this will quickly be replaced by praise for most of us, when the higher ups see the result of this slightly slower and more measured approach.
The same goes for your customers and clients. You can create better products and offer more helpful services when you take your time. It’s a great start, but it’s far from everything. Customer service, and customer relations in general, greatly benefit from spending a little extra time and effort.
Think back on the last time you visited a doctor who took the time to really listen to what you had to say and then took the time to read up, research, and think about your diagnosis instead of handing you a prescription for what he guessed was the most likely cause of your complaints. It made you feel great, right? It also made you loyal to that doctor. When you find someone like that, you keep them no matter what. Even if it means a higher co-pay or a longer drive to go see them. Your clients and customers will feel the same about you when you start to embrace slow thinking.
Last but not least, don’t forget about your family. Don’t you think your spouse would appreciate it if you took the time to think about the issues they are facing, and maybe come up with something that makes their life a little easier after a rough week? This could be as simple as stopping to pick up pizza, so no one has to cook or clean up after dinner. And what about your kids? When they are little, they ask millions of questions (at least it feels that way for a few years). It takes patience and sometimes some very deep thinking to come up with answers to them all, but the bond you forge when you take the time to answer them is priceless.
Embrace slow thinking, not just for yourself, but for everyone around you.
