Never Rush And You'll Get A Lot More Done

Written by Chris Josh

When we think about getting more done, our logic tells us we must move faster but this is faulty thinking. For years, I thought that rushing would make me more productive. However, rushing uses a lot more of our mental and physical resources and ends up draining us, making us work inefficiently.

Instead of moving at 100mph, try slow it down. By going too fast, you're going to fumble things around and create more work for yourself to fix your mistakes. Instead, approach everything in the following manner. Ask yourself what's the current action I should be taking right now. Forget about the rest of the steps involved and only keep the next thing to do in mind.

In this way, your mind is using most of its resources on the task at hand. Doing this, you allow your mind to work a lot more efficiently with fewer errors - your brain utilizes far less resources and you maintain your sanity. Because your brain is not frazzled, it works more intelligently - creating more efficient paths to complete a task.

I'll use making a sandwich for lunch as an example. I like to put chicken breast deli slices on a toasted tortilla with light mayo, honey mustard, 2% American cheese and bread & butter chips (pickles).

If I were to multitask the process, I am sure to drop the jar of pickles and waste a good 15 minutes cleaning up the broken glass. I might even squirt mustard all over the counter and make a mess. However, if I just take it one step at at time, I avoid the extra clean up time and I remain at peace. This saves me time - time that I can use to do other things.

All I do is ask myself two questions, "what task do I need to do now? And what's after that?" I keep mentally asking myself these two questions throughout the process of making my sandwich and I also continuously ask myself the same two questions throughout the day, from the moment I wake up until my head hits the pillow.

This is just an example. You can apply this concept to anything. Give it a try and watch how you get a lot more done and how much better you feel, without the added stress of trying to move at double speed and constantly trying to fix blunders. You'll be more focused and calm. And you'll enjoy your day a whole lot more.