“The faster you react, the less you think. Not always, but often.”
So says Jason Fried in “Give it five minutes,” a far less-than-five-minute piece about what happens if you just take the time to think instead of reacting.
Fans of The Phantom Tollbooth will recognize Tock.
I’m an advocate of trying to look 20 minutes ahead to see all the possible ramifications of a decision.
When you consider that a decision doesn’t have to be an action but can instead be a reaction, and how reactions often land us in a pile of grief, you start to see that opting to take a step back inside your own head to think before doing anything might just save you more time in the end.
And save you from a lot of decidedly unwelcome things.
More on what taking a step back can do for you:
Author Becky Benishek 