Have
you ever noticed how it takes twice as long to complete a task when you rush to
get it done? Whether it is finishing a homework assignment or a big project for
work, somehow something goes wrong at
the last, worst possible moment and totally messes up your projected deadline. What
if you could avoid all that hassle in the first place and meet your deadline with time to spare?
Last
year, the Automobile
Association of America ran a great television advertisement that perfectly
illustrated this point. In it, someone in a flashy car speeds past another
vehicle. At first, it seems like the driver in the second car gets ahead, but then
he is stopped at an intersection with the driver in the original car waiting
for the light to change. This pattern is repeated the same way several more
times until the message becomes clear: driving fast and recklessly doesn’t get
anyone ahead; in fact, it may cause more inconvenience (and waste more gas)
than the apparent rush is worth. Similarly, in an episode of the police drama, Rookie
Blue, one of the characters reminded an officer he had trained why he once insisted she finish eating
her lunch before getting out of the squad car. Sergeant Shaw wanted her to take
those extra couple of seconds so she could mentally prepare herself for dealing
with regardless of the situation she would be facing outside. The crime scene
would still be there, he explained, but the officer needed to calm down and
plan what she needed to do to apprehend the criminal or else risk getting
seriously hurt or even killed making the arrest.
Often,
when we are under pressure to complete a task, we rush through or even skip
important steps so we can get the job out of the way and move onto other more
interesting or “fun” things. Monty
Roberts, an award-winning horse trainer and author, often advises: “Give
yourself fifteen minutes and it will take an hour; give yourself an hour and it
will take fifteen minutes.” In other words, when we work carefully and
conscientiously—focusing only on the task at hand—we are in a better position
to get the job done quickly and usually on the first try. However, when we rush
through the job to meet a self-imposed or official deadline we are more likely
to neglect important steps to complete the task which may ultimately undermine it.
An
unintentional byproduct of rushing to complete a task is that we can put
ourselves into hypnosis. Consider John G. Kappas,
Ph.D.’s definition of hypnosis: “Hypnosis is created by an overload
of message units, disorganizing our inhibitory process (Critical Mind),
triggering our fight-flight mechanism and ultimately resulting in a
hyper-suggestible state, providing access to the subconscious mind.” When we
rush around trying to meet a deadline, our minds are already whirling practically
out of control as we consider what we need to get done and if/how many steps we
can get away with “leaving out.” Even if we do not intend to take a
short-cut to finish the task, in this naturally induced hypnotic state we may
neglect an important step because our subconscious (not conscious) mind has
taken over the behavior. We have literally “escaped” into hypnosis to avoid the
anxiety and stress we feel trying to complete that project.
Unfortunately, the stress we
consciously and subconsciously tried so hard to reduce or avoid is likely to
reappear, and be even more intense, when we rush to just “get it done.” When we
take those extra few seconds or even an entire hour, at the end of the day the
fastest way to accomplish a goal is to slow down.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2014
