I often tell friends that because I write blog posts long in advance I am often surprised by much-needed advice in them! So, I am writing this one in the hectic season of December 2021, but I believe the reminder is needed frequently throughout the year.
Slow down!
We spend much time doing things in haste that we later find didn’t need to be done at all or need to be re-done. The only cure for this is the counterintuitive advice to slow the pace of activity.
Yes, that’s easier said than done, and there’s no magic bullet, but a few ideas:
- Do you have a current, clear, complete list of all your desired outcomes and “stake-in-the-ground” commitments? If not, consider making one.
- Do you have a list of the next physical, visible actions that move each of those outcomes toward completion? If not, consider making that list.
- Do you have a current, clear, complete, and regularly reviewed calendar of time-based commitments? If not, consider beginning to use the calendar better.
- Do you leave enough white space in your calendar and commitments to deal with the unexpected and/or catch your breath? We all need time to think, process, reflect, and decide what’s next if we are to successfully be proactive.
- Is it more efficient to procrastinate strategically or to do unnecessary tasks or re-do tasks done incorrectly the first time?
The idea is simple: stress self-generates and self-sustains. Proactive, calmer habits also self-generate and self-sustain. You are fully in control of the choice you make between those two states, but only one yields greater results in the long run.
And if none of that motivates you, how about these two great questions:
- What would ten-year-old me say about what I’m doing today?
- What would eighty-year-old me say about what I’m doing today?
Slow down…it’ll all get done, and better to do it right the first time.
“The most overlooked strategy for success is patience.” – Shane Parrish
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