Haste Makes Waste (Or How to Work Faster AND Smarter)

The pressure employees experience at work related to deadlines, standing out from the crowd ambitions or competitive behaviors episodes lead most of the time to over-perseverance. While being engaged and active is a positive trait, practicing it in excess is not. So what are the negative consequences of doing things in a hurry? Well, I’ll list 3 of the aftereffects I personally faced:

1. The risk of jumping over details. In our rush of finishing something, there are many small details that we might unwillingly ignore. Their presence (or absence for that matter) can actually make a big difference once we’re handing over the project we so actively worked on.
2. Making mistakes. And yes, this is worse than forgetting something, as it will find a way to catch the eye and thus, in a matter of seconds, to diminish the value of your work as a whole.
3. Neglecting other things. If you get too absorbed by finishing in record time specific tasks, you’ll lag behind other activities. Having your lunch or taking a coffee brake is as important as doing your job – let your brain breath a little in between your concentrating stages.

I know that challenging yourself in finishing something before term is sometimes tempting, so I don’t want to talk about symptoms only, but also suggest some best practices alternatives:

• Double-checking might be a more prudent approach. Yes, it will take extra time, but your other option could be reworking. And reworking is the mother of all time wasting activities.
• Collaborate. You don’t have to do everything by yourself – everybody works better together. Jumping over the documentation part by crowdsourcing some of the knowledge is an efficient method for saving time.
• Organize your work. Prepare a short list with the main steps of your current activity – this will assist you in bypassing the traps of getting tangled in your own work (like turning aside from the main subject of attention).

Just keep in mind that working fast is not in itself a productive action, but working smarter will do the job! Happy Knowledge Sharing!