The United States is the most productive country on the planet. Productivity is part of the American culture. Our children are rushed from one place to another, as moms try to "get things done". At work we are rewarded for our productivity, often being paid by the piece. The more you get done they more you get paid. We are in such a hurry that some people even run for entertainment (that is scary). We are linked by telephone, computers and television all of us rushing to learn the newest thing or get the latest information. We buy everything on credit because we just can't wait to earn the money needed for the purchase.
I believe that the time has come to slow down. The last time you drove between Denver and Grand Junction how much wildlife did you see? I doubt you saw too many because we are so focused on the road, because you are going 75 miles an hour (or 85 in some cases), you don't have a chance to look out the side windows too. When I was a kid I remember the trip to Denver taking 6 or 7 hours (and it seemed like months). But on every trip we saw something cool. Such as a waterfall, mule deer or mountain goat.
There was a time that I was being very productive at work. I could outproduce my co-workers, and I often did, two work orders for every one that my co-workers completed. Time was coming for my review and I knew that I was going to get an awesome review (hence an awesome raise). The when my boss gave me my review all I saw was average marks. I was confused and I asked "why all the average marks, I outproduce my co-workers 2 to 1?" My boss told me a couple of things that I have never forgot: He told me that he agreed that I could outproduce everybody on the job, but the review was not a review of them, it was a review of me. He reviewed how well I could do, so essentially I was not doing the quality that I could potentially be doing (even though I could out work the rest of the crew). The other thing he told me was that I needed to slow down. "You go too fast and speed leads to sloppiness or mistakes."
"Measure twice and cut once." comes to mind, when talking about productivity. Essentially it means take your time and do it right the first time or face a more costly repair later. Just ask the people at Toyota if they think rushing to build a car is a good thing. The cost to their reputation will be devastating for that company, for years to come.
The American people are trying to teach President Obama and the Congress that rushing bills through Congress without reading or debating them could be hazardous to your career (if they learn the lesson is a different story).
This recession has forced a lot of people to slow down already. I think the rest of us need to do the same. Take your time, notice things, make less mistakes. You will be more productive in the long run.
Most of us will walk around on this "big blue marble" for less than a hundred years, so lets not rush to the end. Take your time and live life to it's fullest. Getting to the destination is not as important as the journey to get there, so slow down and enjoy life.
Dedication: I dedicate this posting to a lost friend... Jen, we love you and we will miss you. Todd
I believe that the time has come to slow down. The last time you drove between Denver and Grand Junction how much wildlife did you see? I doubt you saw too many because we are so focused on the road, because you are going 75 miles an hour (or 85 in some cases), you don't have a chance to look out the side windows too. When I was a kid I remember the trip to Denver taking 6 or 7 hours (and it seemed like months). But on every trip we saw something cool. Such as a waterfall, mule deer or mountain goat.
There was a time that I was being very productive at work. I could outproduce my co-workers, and I often did, two work orders for every one that my co-workers completed. Time was coming for my review and I knew that I was going to get an awesome review (hence an awesome raise). The when my boss gave me my review all I saw was average marks. I was confused and I asked "why all the average marks, I outproduce my co-workers 2 to 1?" My boss told me a couple of things that I have never forgot: He told me that he agreed that I could outproduce everybody on the job, but the review was not a review of them, it was a review of me. He reviewed how well I could do, so essentially I was not doing the quality that I could potentially be doing (even though I could out work the rest of the crew). The other thing he told me was that I needed to slow down. "You go too fast and speed leads to sloppiness or mistakes."
"Measure twice and cut once." comes to mind, when talking about productivity. Essentially it means take your time and do it right the first time or face a more costly repair later. Just ask the people at Toyota if they think rushing to build a car is a good thing. The cost to their reputation will be devastating for that company, for years to come.
The American people are trying to teach President Obama and the Congress that rushing bills through Congress without reading or debating them could be hazardous to your career (if they learn the lesson is a different story).
This recession has forced a lot of people to slow down already. I think the rest of us need to do the same. Take your time, notice things, make less mistakes. You will be more productive in the long run.
Most of us will walk around on this "big blue marble" for less than a hundred years, so lets not rush to the end. Take your time and live life to it's fullest. Getting to the destination is not as important as the journey to get there, so slow down and enjoy life.
Dedication: I dedicate this posting to a lost friend... Jen, we love you and we will miss you. Todd
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