MVP Realty Group

License #: 17582

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360-915-9123
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Slowing Down to Speed Up

Turtle crawling to the sea

It may seem counterintuitive, but taking a slower approach to the things we must do in our daily life can actually lead to increased productivity throughout our days. Here are some drawbacks of trying to work at an excessively fast pace and what "slowing down to speed up" means.

Stress
No one wants stress. Stress leads to burnout and breakdown. If a marathon runner over-exherts herself at the begining of the race and pulls a hammy, she will never finish and probably miss the next race. No one can go 100 MPH, 24/7 and still deliver quality work. Though customers, supervisors, or family members may think that's what they want from us, attempting an unrealistic pace will eventually result in us letting them and ourselves down.

We must plan breaks throughout our days and weeks. Even just 3 steady minutes with everything turned off and our eyes closed can help prepare us for the next task at hand. Stress leads to lack of focus. Lack of focus leads to drifting away from our top objectives for that day.

Errors
Imagine how much more we could get done if we could cut the quantity of our work in half. Guess what. We can! We just need to do it right the first time.

Working in haste, allowing people, messages, and that "ding" from our phone to pull our attention when we are trying to get something done and done right causes us to have to revist that task later to fix our errors, effectively doubling our work. Cutting corners just to "get it done" only leads to challenges for us and others we share your life with in the future. We must slow down, create an environment for focus, and doublecheck our work. We need to ask ourself, "Is there anything else I can do with this now, while it's in front of me, that might prevent me or others from having to revisit this in the future?"

Miscommunication
When we value getting it done over getting it done right, we often cut corners. The most frequent corner cut is communication. When we allow ourselves to get into a rush, whether that is just the pace we choose or as a result of getting behind due to lack of prioritization or focus on what's important, we often sacrifice things like good notetaking and communication. When we perceive the critical element of communication as just another step we don't have time for, we can lose the support of the people we need most because they will be out of the loop. In the end it will mean more work and stress for everyone.

Bottom Line
The concept of slowing down to speed up might be better expressed with terms like steady, focused, and intentional. Trying to work faster leads to stress, mistakes, and poor communication with the people we rely upon, and it probably won't result in getting any more accomplished.

By Matthew Plummer, CEO of MVP Realty Group, balancing business and life for more than two decades.

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