If you want to finish fast, go slow

Going eight floors down the lift, I realized my father’s shirt’s top button was undone. I wanted to help and thought it’d be best if I could button it up before reaching the basement so we don’t end up blocking it for others.

It’s a fairly fast lift. Given time of the day, it was unlikely it would be interrupted. I was holding a bag in my right hand. I reached out with my left to button up his shirt. After 5 seconds of fiddling, it was clear I wasn’t going to be able to do it. So I did what I should have in the first place.

I slowed down.

Keeping the bag on the lift floor, I engaged both hands and slowly buttoned up. It took 5 more seconds, but we were done before hitting the basement.

In a world where busyness is worshipped, we default to rushing through things. More often than not, this leads to mistakes, rework, and ultimately more time spent.

When you slow down, you give yourself the time to focus on the task at hand. You can think more clearly, make better decisions, and avoid mistakes. This can ultimately save you time in the long run.

This is especially relevant in the age of AI-assisted coding (or AI-assisted anything, really). With AI tools, it’s easy to get caught up in the speed of generation. But if you take the time to review and refine the output, you can ensure that it’s of high quality and meets your needs.

Do little, but do it well.
Make fewer mistakes.
Refine your goal if necessary.
Go slow.
Finish faster.

It’s counter-intuitive, but it works. Try it out.

Until next time,
Cheers ✌️