Last week I discussed how dangerous it can to be rushing all of the time. When you rush around too much, you do not end up getting more done. You get caught up in a lifestyle of frustration, aggravation, and stress. While you see that rushing around can be detrimental, it is also important to understand the downfalls of moving too slowly. It is like going bowling, the closest to the middle is the best shot you can take and you get a gutter ball on either side. You may have mastered not rushing too much, and maybe you are too good at it! It's time to explore the other side of the coin, for the times you are not moving quickly enough. There are many ways we can move too slowly on something. Below are just a few examples and how you can avoid them.
Taking too long to make a decision. If you take too long to make a decision, you can miss out on making a right decision. You can best improve this by developing a decision making process to expedite your decision, like a pros and cons list. I have written a post about making decisions.
Accomplishing a task too slowly. While it is great to be careful and ensure that a task is completed with accuracy, it is not beneficial if it is done too slowly and not done by the deadline assigned to it. In this case, the more experience you have doing any task, the more quickly it can be completed.
Getting to places to late. We can be late for many different reasons. One of them is that we simply take too long to do what we need to do to get going on time. I have written a post regarding being on time in the past, and I went to continue about the reasons we are late to things. If taking too long to complete tasks when getting ready is holding you back, then it will benefit to re-evaluate your routine for when you are getting ready to go where you need to get to on time.
Taking too much time to reach a goal. While I do agree that we should not rush into any trying to achieve any big goal, we also should not be taking forever to reach a goal. We can do this because of fear, doubt, or even just plain laziness. We are all guilty of this, and I know that I am at times. If there is something you really want to do, and it is 5 years later and it is still not done, it's time to get going!
It is beneficial to understand when it is time to get going and pick up the pace. Let's remember the benefits of being as close to the middle as possible. While there is a saying "slow and steady wins the race", I don't believe that is entirely true. I prefer to say "steady and consistent."