Is Faster Speed the Answer?

2-min. read

“Harder – Better – Faster – Stronger”

I’m sure you’ve recognized this hit from the – now-defunct – French electronic music duo Daft Punk!

20 years after, it resonates more than ever during these COVID times. 

Successful businesses have learned how to adapt to the unpredictable. And teams had to accelerate their speed of adaptation and execution to survive.

But, it doesn’t come without collateral damageā€¦ 

Knowledge workers and leaders alike are left running out of steam, feeling overwhelmed with these constant changes and crazy pace.

There’s no end in sight, and many fear that burnout issues are becoming even more prevalent.

So, isn’t it time to slow down? And if so, by how much? 

Here’s a little experiment I recently did that can shed some light on how to best adjust your speed:

I’m running the same 7-mile route along the coast in Santa Cruz, two to three times a week. In the beginning, I used to push as hard as I could, all the way down. I arrived exhausted, out of breath, and it would take me forever to recover. My time was about 55 minutes. 

Soon enough, I wasn’t enjoying that run anymore, so I decided to take it easy. I mentally set my pace at half the normal one. The run was pure joy. I rediscovered all the beauty of the East Cliff shoreline. I arrived fresh and relaxed. Want to guess my time? 57 minutes!

You read it right! Just a minor adjustment in your speed of execution can make a world of difference in the quality of your perceived experience.

So, no matter if it’s in business or personal, make sure you experiment too. Adjust your execution speed, don’t take on more than you can chew, and find your happy “pace”!

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