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Slow Down to Speed Up

thoughts

To complete a task efficiently with high quality results I’ve found that slowing myself down and concentrating on it to then execute it purposefully is faster in the end than rushing through it just to complete it quickest. When I don’t slow myself down, I find that I’m not satisfied with the quality of execution and the final result and have to do it all over again. Or I make mistakes and have accidents that require more work to clean up. All result in slower execution than doing it slightly slower in first place. So I tell myself: “Slow down to speed up”. But this works only if you’ve already mastered the skill of fast execution. Procrastination shouldn’t be slowed down ;-).  You should always challenge yourself to complete a task in an aggressive time frame with the risk of not achieving it. That way you discover optimizations unknown to you before.

 

 

A painful month of April in the year of 2014

thoughts

Two people dear to my heart have passed away last month. First my aunt Karin passed away and shortly after my flying friend, mentor and role model Willi.

It’s hard to see you go. I’ll keep you in my thoughts. It helps a little to think about the circle of life, and the joy I experience from watching my son grow up. But death has been pushed aside in our hectic, result driven society. And when death strikes in our social circle – too close to ignore – we find ourselves dumbfounded. Currently I just feel sad and numb and empty.

 

 

Wine, life and wisdom

thoughts
I recently had someone sharing this story with me

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.

He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life”.

“The golf balls are the important things: your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions. Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff”.

“If you put the sand into the jar first”, he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you”.

“Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down the ski slope”.

“There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend.”