Save 2 Hours this week! Slow down to speed up!

This past weekend I was reminded of another best practice, that if followed, would have saved me 2 hours! What could you do if you added another 2 hours to your day this week? Most of us are time starved, task driven and generally work with a mindset that if I work harder and faster, I will be more productive. On the contrary, there are times when slowing down is the best option to speed up!

Let me share how life reminded me of this lesson over the weekend. I enjoy power tools and purchased a new chainsaw to handle the numerous tree limbs in our backyard. There is nothing like the feeling of cutting through a 16" piece of timber! (Tool Time Tim Allen grunt) Now, I consider myself a "professional" in the sense that I have worked with chainsaws over 20 years, and have previously owned chain saws in the past. (ok, so I only have maybe 20 or 30 hours combined experience, so over the course of 20 years, that means something!?!)

So with this experience and knowledge, I begin the task of putting on the new chain blade and realize that something isn't right. The cover would not remove easily, and was only able to remove by pring it off. Now for many, this would have been the time to review the manual and "confirm" the correct process. But remember, I'm a professional and know what I'm doing! After about 30 minutes of unsuccessfully attempting to attach the chain, my wife/Deborah offers help, which I immediately dismiss because she cannot be more qualified than me!..... Right! (keep in mind she grew up on a farm and probably has more experience than me!)

Now like most good problem solvers, you would think I would "stop" to consider a different approach! No, I am the professional and continued to work for additional 30 minutes, before she came to me with a 2 min youtube video explaining how to correct the problem. In that moment, it occurred to me that I had done what many people do to improve performance. I worked harder and faster, doing the same thing that didn't work, thinking that working harder and faster would correct the problem. In addition, I was not open to receiving "alternative" options, because again, I'm the professional! After reviewing the 2 min video, I was able to "correct" the problem in 3 minutes.

In looking at the situation, this was a good reminder of best practices in life. Keep an open mind, don't overestimate your experience, don't underestimate the experience needed, and slow down when you want to speed up. I was not honest with my abilities, and stubbornness in my thinking further delayed me in "slowing down to speed up".

My guess is that there is at least 1 thing you are doing that could be improved in the coming week that could save you 2 hours, if you took the time to "slow down to speed up"! What experience will demonstrate this lesson for you?