(This blog was originally posted on September 28, 2014)
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| Photo by Rick Hustead |
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?
The Automobile
Association of America has 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 take a sip of
coffee or a bite of her sandwich before getting out of the squad car. Sergeant
Shaw wanted her to take those extra couple of seconds so the other officer
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 suspect 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/.
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