Slow Down to Speed Up

In Freedom Unleashed, awareness changes everything. 

Have you ever been moving so fast to get something done that it ends up taking longer than if you would have slowed down to do it?  

On my vehicle there is a keypad, and I often think about this distinction, “slow down to speed up,” when I’m frustratedly typing the code for the third time 😅 to unlock the doors and move on to the next thing.

When I slow down, the code registers, I hit the right number combo, and voilà, the doors unlock. 

This has been a recurring topic in my mind this last week when:

• I quickly typed and sent an acknowledgement text without slowing down to read it before hitting send and “Jayson” was sent when his name is “Jaydon.”
   

• I scheduled a guest to come to our Wednesday team lunch without slowing down to first check with our General Manager because we have lunch every Wednesday and it happened to be one of the rare Wednesdays our culinary team has the day off.
   

• Or, when my daughter is reading so quickly that she’s guessing the words and not understanding what it says because she isn’t slowing down to really read it.

It’s counterintuitive to think “slow down to speed up,” when we live in a society where faster is better, multi-tasking is valued, and slow is lazy or unattractive.  

And yet every time I have to redo, correct, or take more time to complete the thing I was in a hurry to get done, it stands out to me that if I slowed down, I would have avoided the extra time and energy.

Slow down right now and ask yourself:
 

Where am I rushing around right now that I could actually move faster if I slowed down?

Notice what comes up for you.

Freedom Unleashed Takeaway

• Slow down and you’ll increase your effectiveness in communication, decision-making, and completing tasks while saving time and energy.

Sometimes the fastest way forward is simply slowing down and being present with the item at hand.

This is more than a productivity tip…it’s creating awareness of how you are being in the moment, which always shows up in what you do. 

Being Rushed -> Mistakes, Rework, Inefficiency

Being Present -> Clarity, Effectiveness

Slow Down to Speed Up