Where is the fire?
We want to rush because progress feels good. If our default is “active” then we, in effect, are covering our ass. If you see, I cranked out 30 emails today; it’s pretty obvious that I’ve been working on something great, right?
Wrong.
The good work takes time. This means deliberately choosing to look “unbusy.” That is a hard choice because social standards scream for progress. No one we know gets fired because they sent too many slack messages. So we default to active.
As a result, we’ve implicitly chosen to do mediocre work.
The great work happens when you give it the space to grow. Decide to, even when the optics tell you not.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 