To make your fast faster, make your slow slower. I say this to kids in basketball workouts to emphasize change of pace. The best players in the game of basketball aren’t always sprinting around the court or performing every movement at full speed. Great players understand that going slow & changing tempos can make a quick or full speed burst that much more effective. This is a concept that has meaning in everyday life too.
The urge and way of life for most of us is to always be on the go. We believe there’s no time for slow- busyness & activity consumes our society, but just like in basketball, if we never slow down our “fast” isn’t nearly as effective. If, however, we have the ability to change speeds, and take the time to slow down and really make our slow slower, we can make our fast that much faster and more effective.
One simple example could be taking 15 minutes in the AM and mapping out time blocks or setting specific intentions for your day. By “slowing down” for a brief moment to write out a plan, we inevitably end up having the ability to go faster as we are less likely to fall victim to distractions or procrastination. A coaching example is before I run a practice or a session I take the time to write out a plan, take deep breaths and remind myself of who I want to be as a coach. I’ve learned that when I don’t have a plan and my mind isn’t clear, I can lose patience and in turn, lose my ability to run an effective practice. In other instances, making our slow slower might be putting away our phone for an hour and going for a walk/ performing any type of exercise. It could be having a personal conversation with a loved one or going to bed an hour or two earlier.
The bottom line is when we rush and go through each day and moment of our life in a hurry and only “play at one speed”- we run ourselves thin and never operate with a clear mind. It causes us to be less effective and less productive in each activity we partake in. So if you feel like you’re going 1000 MPH but it’s not adding up to anything, remember: to make your fast faster, make your slow slower.