I just listened to a very interesting interview with Kelsey Hightower on the Changelog podcast. There were lots of good points made but one story he shared has been on my mind this morning – at a tradesmen competition he attended he observed that the man who won actually moved much slower and more methodically than the rest of the contestants who behaved more as you’d expect in a competition (running around, frantic, etc.)
One point he made that I liked (besides the obvious one, “slow and steady wins the race”) was that our winner tradesman could do that because he had put in the time/training and had the skillset firmly solidified. He did each thing exactly once but he only needed once. A more novice (and nervous) tradesman will need to make several attempts and try/fail to get it right. It’s to be expected.
Furthering that thought this morning on my own, I realized that the times I’ve *been* the most productive is when I was moving at a slow pace with a stable, methodical mindset. However if I’m following my emotional side and simply want to *feel* like I’m productive I move at a fast pace with a frantic mindset. Lots of energy is expended but a disproportionately lesser product gets produced. Since I’m busy, I trick myself into thinking that is working even though little is getting done.
I think you have to plan and then execute. Your proof of productivity is the predefined deliverables.
If you manage your time right you can get more accomplished with a fraction of the effort (and stress). It sounds simple but it’s one of the hardest adult skills to get right. Alas.