The Value of Taking Our Time

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Former Alabama Coach Nick Saban and his wife, affectionally known as Ms. Terry, were stuck in a massive traffic jam one day.

In his past life, when he was in charge of Crimson Tide football, Saban would have changed lanes, gone onto the shoulder of the road, and bypassed many of the other motorists to nudge his way in. But on this day, the legendary coach was willing to sit patiently without his blood pressure rising.

Saban used to be obsessed with what was next and getting on to the next thing. Any obstruction would set him off. 

Now, Saban has slowed down and is enjoying the moment, worrying little about time. 

Rory Sutherland, in an article for Behavioral Scientist, asks a very important question related to Saban’s newfound pace: “Are we too impatient to be intelligent?” 

In the article, Sutherland uses the speedometer of our cars to explain his point.

“If you’ve got a GPS in your car, you’re driving on the motorway at 60, you realize you’re going to be five minutes late for an appointment, so you welly it. And after driving at an insanely fast and dangerous speed for about eight minutes, you suddenly realize your arrival time has only improved by one minute.

This is fascinating. Because to a physicist, they’re exactly the same. But when I present the information about time and distance in a different way, your reaction is now completely different. What it effectively says is: going quite a bit faster when you’re going slowly is a really big gain. Going very fast when you’re already going fast is the action of a d--khead.”

What is the point of going fast? Why do we feel the need to hurry? Why are we being overwhelmed with the work instead of taking the slow and steady approach?

As Sutherland points out, why do we feel the need to put the accelerator on everything? Is the email that just arrived so important that it cannot wait until tomorrow or the next day? Why do we feel going faster is better when it often isn’t? 

All of these pushes to become faster are a result of technology, which is supposed to make us more efficient yet frequently makes us hurry more and ultimately become less productive.

For all of our advancement in technology with productivity tools, the greatest lesson ever given to us came may have come when we were in kindergarten: The Tortoise and the Hare.

You remember this one, where the slow-moving turtle challenges the fast-paced hare to a race. The hare, without concern for the turtle, races in front to a quick lead, then decides to take a nap. The turtle is moving slowly, at a consistent pace, with great perseverance. The hare’s nap goes too long, thus allowing the turtle to win, demonstrating that steady and consistent will always win over fast and cocky. 

Saban didn’t need to be in a hurry. He was well-qualified for his role and had vast experience. The pressure of rushing was self-imposed. 

It ultimately took time away for him to discover the accelerator wasn’t helping. Being slow and steady is the best way to travel. 

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