Too Much to Do? Slowing Down May Actually Make You More Productive
One lesson I have to learn repeatedly is that when I have too much to do, I have to slow down. Rushing, as I’m usually tempted to do, is a certain way to do things wrong, get injured, or make poor choices.
This lesson seems particularly relevant these days when so many people are trying to accomplish more than there’s time for. The problem is that when we rush, we’re not focused. Details that matter fall by the wayside. Issues that deserve consideration get overlooked. We become irritable and ornery. And the result is mistakes, diminished productivity, and poor decisions.
When demands become overwhelming and the pace becomes unsustainable, deliberately slowing down may the best thing to do. Relax a little. Take a walk. Meditate.
Research has found that over the course of a day, we gradually move from a state of alertness into physiological fatigue every ninety minutes. We often compensate by taking in caffeine, buckling down, and just ignoring the signals of exhaustion overtaking us. But by giving yourself some renewal time at ninety-minute intervals to quiet your mind and relax your body, you can maximize productivity.
Of course, it would also help to stop multitasking—or at least do less of it. When you try to perform multiple tasks at one time, each of which requires your full attention, your brain gets overloaded. You suffer as a result, and so does each task you’re trying to accomplish. If you have no choice but to multitask, try to stop every few hours and just do one thing for fifteen minutes. You might think of it as a juggling break, and it will help you recharge and be ready to take on more tasks.
Rushing like crazy just to make it from Point A to Point B without being late may offer another opportunity to slow down. When people rush, they often fall into the mindset that rushing is the only way to avoid being late. But the truth is that if you stop rushing and relax, you’ll find that more often than not, you end up being on time anyway.
Finally, sometimes we can accomplish more by totally changing the way we do something. For example, if you write a lot, getting away from the keyboard and writing by hand may prove to be a way to write faster, especially if you’re facing a deadline. When you write by hand, you’re likely to give your ideas and your words more thought. You spend less time correcting typos because, well, you’re not typing. You may find that in slowing down your writing, you actually write faster. I’m not ready to give up my own keyboard, but you might want to give it a try.
