
	Dashing Thru the Week : December 14, 2003

The Fastest Way to Move Ahead - Slow Down! :

It may seem like a paradox but it's really true: If you want to move ahead quickly, then you must learn to slow down. As someone who wants to accomplish so much for myself and others, this is a truth that I still struggle with. I must constantly remind myself that my dash isn't a sprint, but rather it's a marathon. And just as it would be foolish to attempt to sprint through a marathon, it's equally foolish to attempt to sprint through life. Simply put, slow and steady wins the race of life.

Of course, you may be saying, "Hey, that's easy for you to say. You don't have my schedule." I know from working with my clients that some people have amazingly hectic schedules. They wake up in the morning, quickly dress themselves and the kids and speed off in the car. They drop the kids in daycare and then speed off to the office. They arrive at the office to find 20 messages all marked "Urgent." However, before they can respond to any of these messages, they are summoned into a meeting with the boss. This is followed by meetings with marketing, compliance, IT, the finance department, etc. This goes on all day until they look up and realize that it's time to race home to pick up the kids from day care. They get home, cook dinner, help the kids with their homework, get everyone bathed and to bed, and in just 8 short hours, it's time to do it all over again.

If this sounds like your day, then SLOW DOWN! You are running yourself into an early grave and for what? Increased productivity? Guess again. If all of this activity was making you so productive, you would eventually have more time on your hands, not less. However, aren't you noticing the opposite effect? The faster, harder and longer you work, the more there seems that still needs to be done. If this is the case for you, then perhaps you may want to look at the following ways to lighten your load.

Read "Tips for Slowing Down" section for ideas on improving this part of your DASH

Tips for Slowing Down :

1. Learn to Say "No." Your productivity will instantly double the day you learn to say "No" to that extra project. I know it's hard. I know it goes against everything you were ever taught at How to Get Ahead U. Nevertheless, you have to learn to say "No." You are much more productive by doing a good job on just 1 project than by doing a sloppy job on 100 projects.

2. Learn to Delegate. For many people, delegating is scarier than saying, "No." Although we don't like to admit it, many of us think that no one can do the job as well as we can do it. This is just plain silly. Many people have learned this lesson the hard way. They work themselves into a premature heart attack or stroke, only to learn that the work that "only they could do" is being performed well by others as they lay in a hospital bed.

3. Measure Twice and Cut Once. Often times, we are in such a hurry to complete a project that we jump right into it without careful planning. This is particularly true when we are busy. We think, "Who has time for planning? I'm trying to get things done!" However, the truth of the matter is that planning is most crucial for those who are the busiest. After all, if you don't have time to carefully plan your work, then you certainly don't have time to redo it. Therefore, slow down and think things through before jumping into your work. This extra 5 or 10 minutes of planning can save you hours (or even days) of wasted effort.

4. Take a Break. Now, I know that some of you are thinking that I've really lost it. You are saying, "How can he possibly even think about suggesting a break? I have too much to do to take a break!" Well, my friend, the truth is exactly the opposite: you have too much to do NOT to take a break. Think about it. How many push-ups can you do in a row? 20, 50, 100? Whatever the number might be, you eventually reach the point where you can not do another push-up. You can try and try and try but that is your limit. However, what happens if you rest for a while? Can you do more push-ups? Of course. Well, I've found the same is true for doing mental push- ups. For instance, sometimes when writing this newsletter, I get to a point where I can't write a single sentence without backing up and starting over. In the past, I would just try to "power through" the rest of the newsletter. However, I've learned to simply take a short break when that happens. I take a short walk, drive to Starbucks or just listen to music. When I return to my writing, I am usually able to write with ease again. The 10-15 minutes I spend on break save me an hour or more of hard labor (that usually results in inferior writing anyway). Now, I realize that the above tips may seem impractical for your hard-charging life but trust me, try just one of them in the next week. You will be glad you did.


	Quick Quote : "What is without periods of rest will not endure." - Ovid

Thoughts for Your Dash :

Determination

"What you have to do and the way you have to do it is incredibly simple. Whether you are willing to do it, that's another matter."

Peter F. Drucker

Attitude

"Little by little does the trick."

Aesop

Success

"Today, be aware of how you are spending your 1,440 beautiful moments, and spend them wisely."

Author Unknown

Happiness

"Time and health are two precious assets that we don't recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted."

Denis Waitley

Quick Quote :

"People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit. Most people succeed because they are determined to."

- George E. Allen

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