The Hindu Business Line : Are you working really hard... on the wrong things?

In such a scenario that is business-as-usual for most of us, Steve Prentice's message of `getting further by going slower' may seem out of sync. Yet, it may be profitable to spare a few minutes to thumb through `Cool Down' (www.wiley.com) . Because Prentice's argument - that "a conscious approach to stepping away from reactionism, pressure, and overload is not only essential but actually achievable" - has the potential to change your lives.

He sees us all driving Porsches, mentally, for 13 to 20 hours every day, between wake-up and sleep. Sadly, though, unlike professional racers, a lot of us succumb to the pressure to drive in the fast lane all the time. Reason: "Urged on by the persistent prodding of our wireless technologies, we feel a palpable need to extend our accessibility and responsibility well beyond reasonable limits."

The problem with speed is that it generates busy-ness as opposed to business, explains Prentice. Frenetic activity level can blind us to `actual progress and productivity'. Also, "the constant need to `keep up' leads to a false sense of achievement, so that while we think we are swimming, we are actually just treading water." At least, till we end up drowning!

Working hard is good, concedes the author. But not "working really hard on the wrong things. When you're working so fast and furiously that you cannot spare a moment to tell the difference, that's when the problem takes root."

Cooling down is not about working slower, he clarifies. It is about using working on the important things during the better times; "more of the right stuff can get done at the right time." There is `intellectual viscosity', for instance, during the two hours between 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., he says. This is `four-star premium time', in terms of `creativity, productivity, and mental traction, for nine out of 10 people.' Worth checking out.

Don't fritter away these valuable hours doing something as mundane as checking emails, counsels the author. "Dealing with e-mail en masse as an early morning task is like using a Ferrari to pull a camping trailer." Stringently defend your time against intrusion, and negotiate rather than simply react, therefore.

Become a cooler person by delegating effectively. Delegation is not `a quick act of dumping,' but `a slow act of education and trust.' Take time to seek out the right person for the job; also, "understand more about the people who work with/for you. Learn who is looking for or is ready for new challenges."

To those who have trouble deciding whether to delegate, Prentice reminds two things: "First, perfection in others takes time. Second, just because you can do a particular task doesn't mean you should be doing it."

The final chapter is about `the family', a place where `slow' is the most needed. A simple technique is to use family dinner as a safe harbour, with TV and other music players and PDAs put off; remember, "it's not the food that counts, it's the time."

If tensions from work follow you home, use a `trouble tree,' advises Prentice. "Based on a traditional poem, a trouble tree is a tree, a bush, or any other object located just outside the front door upon which people `hang' their work troubles before entering the house." The parable goes on to say that many of the troubles tend to get blown off the tree overnight.

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