But with all this speed, we start wobbling. Making mistakes. Not seeing where we’re actually going.
And too often, I see entrepreneurs and business owners prioritize speed over depth. Is it better to go fast, or to go far?
Speed and consistency are two separate things, and one more often than not is indicative of success. To be successful, you have show up.
The irony of going far is that it’s not done by going fast, not necessarily.
Sometimes you have to slow down in order to truly speed up.
And sometimes, you need to rest.
Sometimes you gotta slow down to speed up.
It’s not about going fast.
Think about in sports, or running training. Your actual time spent running isn’t the bulk of your training. Equally important is your recovery time, how you fuel yourself, stretching, preparing, mental work, etc.
You don’t prepare for a marathon by running non-stop for two weeks and then racing.
Preparation takes time, consistency, and adequate and ample rest. Without rest, recovery, and repair, we drive our muscles into damage and injury.
Take that analogy to your project, your brain, your work. Do you get enough rest?
We need rest to go fast.
We need time off between our work sessions.
We need to recover.
Because to go fast or far, you also need to know how to control the speed.
This is advice I really needed to hear!! I feel like I need to be working ALL the time in order to complete everything I want to do (and I really like working) but then I just end up burnt out and with annoying RSI problems. The way you explained it makes so much sense! Thankyou!!
Serendipitous to read this now, just read some where about how it doesn’t matter if you slow down so long as you never stand still in pursuit of your goal. Love your blog.
Hey Sarah.
Excellent post. Right on the money for me. I am one of those guys who needs to consciously slow down. I can get impatient with progress and over the past year or so I have learned, by blogging, that time is my friend. It’s the old slow and steady wins the race adage which I don’t totally believe but must, in a way, embrace.
It’s really about learning as much as I can and applying it as I go. Anyway, thanks for putting that out there. It works for me. Keep on blogging…..
Thanks, Ralph! I’m the same way – sprint, then get out of breath. I have to remember that consistency, showing up, doing a little bit at a time — these are all virtues, and can make change happen before our eyes if we let it.