The Slow Solution

When trying to achieve something, we usually think of moving ahead quickly. We think of moving in a straight line. This is not always the best way to get where we want to go.

When we are faced with trying to get something done we usually try to take the most direct route. After all, common sense tells us the fastest route is the most direct.  For instance, say we are starting out on a journey.  We need to get from A to D, so we try to plan a route that goes directly to D. But what happens if we don’t know the direct route to D?  In that case, we have to get out a map and plan the route before setting off. 

This takes time and, no matter how good the map is, we still can’t be sure if that route is the best.  It’s only once we’ve traveled the route that we know whether or not it really is the best.  We may start on a journey and then find that there are things we couldn’t see on the map.  If we are in a car, for instance, we might find that the route we’ve chosen is extremely busy with traffic.  We might make slow progress.  In this case we might find that the direct route is not particularly fast after all.

It seems that it’s only with experience we can make the choice about which is the best route to take. It seems we have to make mistakes. However there is a way around this problem. If we are trying to travel from A to D and we know the way from A to C, we can use this to our advantage. The route from A to C. may be longer on the map, but if we are sure of that route, it can often be quicker to go that way. This is because we already know the way and so don’t need to spend time working out which way to go. Although the route may be longer by the indirect method, it may be the fastest, because once we are at C, it may be relatively easy to get to the D.

Most of us have had the experience of having to drive to a place we don’t know. When this happens we often take directions from someone or consult a map. This usually entails driving down roads that we are not familiar with. What happens is that we usually drive much slower than we usually do and take quite a while to reach our destination.

But you’ve probably also found that if you looked for a place close to the destination that you already knew, and then drove to the first by a well known route, your journey time could often be cut substantially.

We can use this analogy where we have things to do that are new to us. Instead of seeing the thing that we need to achieve as something totally new to our experience, we can look for things within it that are already familiar to us. In other words, we can see if there is a destination that we already know that is close to where we want to be, and then we can use that as a way to reach a final destination much more easily. So, when you have something new to do look at it this way:

1. First, see how much of the of the job you already know how to do, and then see how far this would go to getting the job done completely.

2. Once you have done this, work out what else you need to do to finish the job.

3. Spend your time working on the small part you need to be successful.

This doesn’t mean we should always go by the route we know. We should, in general, always try to find new and better ways of doing things. But when we’re faced with having to achieve something, or solve problems, we can often fall back on using something that we already have—including knowledge. This is especially true when time is short. In those situations, it’s often better to fall back on something we know than to try to create a new process which may take longer then the old process.

I once took a journey in a cab to a part of town I was not familiar with. The driver wasn’t familiar with the place either, and asked me if I knew the way. I did, I said, but I wasn’t sure if it was the quickest, because it was along small roads instead of along the main highways. He smiled and said: “The quickest route is always the one you know.”

I always remember that, and it’s something I’ve always tried to bear in mind when I’m faced with trying to achieve something new. I usually know how to get part of the way. It may not be the most rapid, but it can often be the quickest.