Slow Down To Go Fast

I was listening to an audiobook and the author makes this statement.

"You must slow down to go fast."

This is a guy who runs a business and is all about efficiency, where every day his team is challenged to make a 2-second improvement in their tasks. So if speed and efficiency are important what is the deal with “you must slow down to go fast?”

I have the opportunity to coach a group of runners of whom most are working to set a PR (personal record) in running a half marathon.  I preach to them often ‘you must go slow before you can go fast.’ Most of the training miles have to be slow. There is a physiological reason but that is for another blog post.

A few years back I moved from riding a bike as my cardio exercise to running. When I did that I was able to notice more details on the roads I traveled. I wrote about it here. Speed Vision

Going slow doesn’t mean ‘indecisive.’

Going slow gives the opportunity to make quality observations that lead to great decisions.

So when you find yourself in the daily sprint of your work routine, remember,

• you can miss things when you go too fast.

• you can't go fast for a long distance, life is a marathon, not a sprint

• slowing down may just help you see things that may help you be more efficient while you are in the marathon.