As a young leader leader person, it’s tempting to be in a hurry… ALL THE TIME.

We have a lot to do. I have a lot to do.

But something I’ve noticed lately is that opportunities for myself and for me to bless others come when I slow down.

Hurry is the enemy of opportunity.

Do I have determination? Sure. Do I have a destination? Sure. Do I have priorities? You bet ya. But I try not to rush them.

That conversation that I really needed to have with a coworker or someone on my team can sometimes pop up when I’m not rushed through the everyday conversation that naturally comes from being around them.

That opportunity to bless someone I know or some random person that I speak to only comes when I’m not too hurried, trying to get to the next thing.

That encouragement I need comes out when I’m not rushed to move to the next thing.

That intimacy in conversation with my wife can only come as I slow down and talk through things openly and honestly with her.

Hurry is the breeding ground of miscommunication.

In leading, hurry forces us to be quick with conversations and unclear in expectations. Instead of fully explaining my desires or expectations, I rob others when I hurry. They fail to see what I’m expecting and I fail to fully explain it. It leads to frustration and delay in getting done what needs to get done.

In my personal life, hurry causes me to not let people into my life the way I need to. I don’t really invest myself in the lives of others because I’m too rushed to move onto the next thing.

But it’s not natural… at least not for me.

My default mode is rush!

I naturally run from thing to thing, even when it’s not that big of a deal or not that urgent.

Here are a few ways I’ve learned to slow down a little (I’m still a work in progress)…

• Be more generous in estimating how long something on my calendar will take. This way, I’m not rushed to move to the next thing.
• Turn off those notification bubbles on my Todoist app on my phone. This way they aren’t haunting me all day.
• Use reminder on Todoist more. That way, if it IS urgent, I’m not afraid I’ll forget. I’m not rushing all the time, and I don’t have to be – because I’m diligent with what my reminders are set for.
• Put graphical reminders in different places so I can remember here’s a background I made for my iPhone

I’m still learning, but I’m not in a hurry to be perfect. :) It’s a day-by-day reprogram of who I am and what I do. Our culture screams “MOVE” and “DO MORE,” but I’m learning to slow down and maybe even do less.

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[bctt tweet=”Hurry is the breeding ground of miscommunication.” username=”jonathanpearson”]

[bctt tweet=”In leading, hurry forces us to be quick with conversations & unclear in expectations.” username=”jonathanpearson”]