At the weekend I saw the oldest tree in Great Britain, an ancient yew in the churchyard of the village of Defynnog in Wales which is 5,600 years old. This tree which must be one of the oldest living things and has been in existence for as long as Defynnog, and many other places in the country for that matter, has been inhabited - which kind of puts day to day working life into perspective.
By complete contrast one of the perils of the modern digital always on 24/7 world is the temptation to deal with issues immediately and respond instantly to every situation or message, sometimes just because we can. Text and IM’s lend themselves to, and almost require, an instant answer. Emails can seem to demand that they are answered quickly and at the very least on the same day.
However, an over rapid response may not be the most effective means of achieving a desired outcome - even if it may seem so at the time and help clear your inbox. Firstly, a reply or taking some resulting action may require or at least benefit from further consideration or consultation with somebody else.
It may also be the wrong time to approach a colleague or manager with some business proposition. They could be extremely busy, or have just returned from holiday, or have a multitude of other priorities at the time so your request is unlikely to get a sympathetic hearing or maybe even listened to at all.
This Wall Street Journal article suggests that “Rushing creates anxiety and resentment among co-workers”and quotes a leadership development coach who advises rushers to visualize themselves on video. "What would you think of that person who ran into every meeting late, spent half the time on their cellphone with their email, and had to ask, 'Could you please repeat that?' because they weren't listening?"
Acting too hastily can often impair the quality of decision making in management. This LinkedIn articleDo You Have Enough Time to Just Think? says LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner schedules up to two hours of empty space on his calendar a day. That may seem like an indulgent thing to do, but Jeff says, “If you don't take the time to think proactively you will increasingly find yourself reacting to your environment rather than influencing it. The resulting situation will inevitably require far more time (and meetings) than thinking strategically would have to begin with.”
Acting more carefully and taking more time can pay dividends. See this Forbes blog What's The Rush? Take Your Time And Gain An Advantage which comments:
Messages scream at us (or so we feel) to respond “now, now, now”, rather than taking our time, or thinking things through. We keep answering but the messages keep coming ... we'll never be finished.
Sometimes, in a racing world, we need to slow down, take a step back, and breathe.
Taking your time in a culture where everyone else seems to be rushing can also give you a distinct advantage.
As the entrepreneur and inventor James Dyson said There is nothing wrong with things taking time.
In this context I also like the Chinese proverb Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
By complete contrast one of the perils of the modern digital always on 24/7 world is the temptation to deal with issues immediately and respond instantly to every situation or message, sometimes just because we can. Text and IM’s lend themselves to, and almost require, an instant answer. Emails can seem to demand that they are answered quickly and at the very least on the same day.
However, an over rapid response may not be the most effective means of achieving a desired outcome - even if it may seem so at the time and help clear your inbox. Firstly, a reply or taking some resulting action may require or at least benefit from further consideration or consultation with somebody else.
It may also be the wrong time to approach a colleague or manager with some business proposition. They could be extremely busy, or have just returned from holiday, or have a multitude of other priorities at the time so your request is unlikely to get a sympathetic hearing or maybe even listened to at all.
This Wall Street Journal article suggests that “Rushing creates anxiety and resentment among co-workers”and quotes a leadership development coach who advises rushers to visualize themselves on video. "What would you think of that person who ran into every meeting late, spent half the time on their cellphone with their email, and had to ask, 'Could you please repeat that?' because they weren't listening?"
Acting too hastily can often impair the quality of decision making in management. This LinkedIn articleDo You Have Enough Time to Just Think? says LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner schedules up to two hours of empty space on his calendar a day. That may seem like an indulgent thing to do, but Jeff says, “If you don't take the time to think proactively you will increasingly find yourself reacting to your environment rather than influencing it. The resulting situation will inevitably require far more time (and meetings) than thinking strategically would have to begin with.”
Acting more carefully and taking more time can pay dividends. See this Forbes blog What's The Rush? Take Your Time And Gain An Advantage which comments:
Messages scream at us (or so we feel) to respond “now, now, now”, rather than taking our time, or thinking things through. We keep answering but the messages keep coming ... we'll never be finished.
Sometimes, in a racing world, we need to slow down, take a step back, and breathe.
Taking your time in a culture where everyone else seems to be rushing can also give you a distinct advantage.
As the entrepreneur and inventor James Dyson said There is nothing wrong with things taking time.
In this context I also like the Chinese proverb Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
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