Slow down, take a…
I often find that when I’m advising others, I’m usually giving advice that I need to follow myself.
Over the last two decades managing and mentoring designers, there has been a single piece of advice that I have given more than anything else, and it's quite simple: Slow down.
Easy to say, but it requires an almost superhuman discipline to master.
As I say, this isn’t advice just for the person I’m talking to, but also for myself. Stop, take a moment. Don’t react immediately. Even 10 or 15 seconds can make all the difference in your reaction to a conversation or a problem.
An example from my own life is when I recently noticed that while practicing his guitar, my son was playing the same songs as usual, but very slowly. I asked him why he was doing that. It turns out that his guitar teacher had recommended slow playing to improve his technique. Playing slowly leads to better form, so when he plays at full speed, the notes he produces sound clearer, more precise, and purer.
These are some of the quotes that I find helpful in reminding me to slow down, take a moment, and think.
“The conditions in which wisdom is needed, in other words, are precisely those in which the slow ways of knowing come into their own.”
Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind, Guy Claxton
“Use the first moments in study. You may miss many an opportunity for quick victory this way, but the moments of study are insurance of success. Take your time and be sure.”
Dune, Frank Herbert
When you want to hurry something, that means you no longer care about it and want to get on to other things.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig
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