Question What is your take on 'Slow'?

[Thunder Chicken]

I recently read what I thought was a pretty good book written by Carl Honore titled "In Praise of Slowness", which discusses the 'cult of speed' common in Western Civilization - fast food, fast work, fast everything, and how some people and organizations are countering this ethic.

I am an engineer and work in a pretty fast-paced environment, and often I work with people who try to do a large number of things simultaneously in a ridiculously truncated period of time, and it seems that they simply leave a trail of half-finished shoddy work in their wake, and ultimately twice the amount of time and effort is required to salvage this work than if the person simply focused and finished one task at a time. There is certainly a time and place where time is of the essence, and pressure from many quarters to be fast, but is it always necessary (or valuable?).

Here is the link to Carl Honore's page discussing the book:

http://www.carlhonore.com/?page_id=6

So that is the topic of this thread - what are your opinions on speed vs. slow (in work, play, food, life, etc..)? Are you an inveterate multi-tasking speedster in all things, or someone who likes to do things slowly and deliberately, or are you both depending on the situation? Either way, how does each system work for you? What is your take?

 

[Andy44]

Well, I watch TV, browse the web, and eat my dinner at the same time while texting, and I never get my addons done, so I think you're on to something. Maybe...I...sorry, busy on something, can't finish discussion right now...

 

[unknown_orbiter]

Speed is irrelevant, productivity is key. I could eat my dinner as fast as possible yet that hardly reduces my workload and life's weight on my back. But if I take dinner slow, throw in a bit of work, an important phone call, a thank-you letter to a grandmother for a very nice pair of skateshoes (still need to write the damn thing), then you have relieved some of life's weight as well as that of your work.

 

[tblaxland]

Are you an inveterate multi-tasking speedster in all things, or someone who likes to do things slowly and deliberately, or are you both depending on the situation? Either way, how does each system work for you? What is your take?

I abhor multi-tasking - I am just not productive when working in that mode. As for speed, when I am working on a single task I can adjust my speed to suit the needs of the situation. Slow and steady for high quality, faster for lower quality. Not all work needs to be high quality, either. To use the mouse trap analogy, what's the point spending 2 hours making a mouse trap with perfect workmanship, when the one you make in 15 minutes will kill the mouse just as well?

 

[unknown_orbiter]

Ah yes true, but perfecting the minute details of such a trap (less gory rat bits, more simple, etc.) may be accomplished in the same amount of time as long as you have a focused mind set.

 

[Andy44]

My problem really isn't that I multi-task, it's that I procrastinate. If I really wanted to finish my current add-on I could do it in a few days, but I always find an excuse not to. Blaming it on multitasking is just an excuse. When I'm at work I can do multiple tasks with no problem when I am into it. As long as I like my job I can go like a madman, as long as I have something caffinated to drink and some music at my desk. In fact, there are some days when I stay late because I'm on a roll. As soon as I get home I want to relax and just surf the web for a bit before hitting the sack for the night, especially if I go to the gym after work.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

I am slowly turning into an observer of the people around me and what makes them tick. There are some people who I don't think *could* stop and do nothing, even if they had the opportunity. If they didn't have some distraction, some idle noise or business to do, they would explode. I wonder how many people could just sit in a chair and do nothing without feeling antsy.

I've also noticed my evolution while growing up. I grew up in a TV household, and there always seemed to be some stimulation/information happening. Coincidentally, I had attention span issues and problems 'day-dreaming' in grade school. When I started working after college, I started to feel that I had a hard time focusing on tasks and I couldn't deal with any more information after a day at work (TV, web surfing, music, anything). However, it was very difficult to learn to just stop. I now live without TV and try to keep my web surfing to a minimum, and strive to keep the laptop off for one whole day on the weekends. It has made a world of difference on my attention and focus. I think TV really trains the brain to take things in 30 second bites. It is funny now when I go to my sisters' house, or go on a business trip at a hotel with TV in the room - I am absolutely mesmerized by TV when I see it. Can't peel my eyes off of it.

 

[Urwumpe]

I enjoy slowness when driving... since I reduced by top-speed from 150 km/h to currently 100 - 120, I save lot's of fuel and have noticeable less stress.

 

[Tommy]

I feel many people are in too much of a hurry, and as the saying goes: Haste Makes Waste.

I think a sign at a machine shop I worked at said it best:

If you don't have time to do it right, how will you find time to do it over?

Tommy

 

[Urwumpe]

If you don't have time to do it right, how will you find time to do it over?

This one on a solid metal shield, in large friendly letters. The perfect equipment for any university lab!

 

[Andy44]

I drive a little slower, too, especially in moderately heavy traffic on the freeway. I find that if I get into the right lane and do just a hair above the speed limit, everyone is in a hurry to pass me while I just relax and listen to the radio. Since I am not looking to change lanes every few seconds I find it less stressful.