What I am reflecting?
Slow Is Fast
One evening this week, I was deep in work. An urgent customer issue had come in, and I needed to focus.
Then it came to me. I needed to steam the leftover rice. We had to have it for dinner.
I went downstairs. Took the rice out, added water to the pot, closed the lid, turned on the gas. Steaming rice normally takes three to four minutes. I set the timer, like I always do, and rushed back upstairs to carry on.
And then the work pulled me back in completely.
You know how it is. When you’re in flow, the world outside the screen disappears. The customer issue had my full attention. One thing led to another. Five minutes became ten. Ten became thirty.
And then I smelled it.
That unmistakable scent of burnt rice.
I rushed downstairs. The pot was burning red. Really, really red.
I switched off the stove. Grabbed the oven gloves. Lifted the lid slowly.
I looked at the rice. It was brown. Then black. It didn’t taste good. I picked it up and it was obviously not good to consume.
As I stood there holding a ruined pot, this phrase came to my mind. Something Stephen Covey wrote in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
“Slow is fast. Fast is slow.”
It landed differently in that moment.
If I had just slowed down for four minutes, sat nearby, watched the pot, let the rice steam the way it needed to, I would have saved a perfectly good dinner. And probably my house.
Instead, I rushed. I tried to squeeze in one more thing. I thought I was being efficient.
The reason I’m sharing this with you today is because I think many of us do this, not just with rice, but with everything.
We rush through conversations so we can get to the next task. We skim through the details because we’re in a hurry to finish. We move so fast through the day that we lose the very thing we were trying to protect: time.
Slow down. Be present. The four minutes you give to one thing fully will save you thirty minutes of damage control later.
That’s the journey. Step by step. And sometimes that means just… standing next to the stove.
What is one thing in your life right now that you want to slow down, so that you can be truly present and avoid unnecessary mistakes?
I hope this resonates.
Quote I’m pondering
“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” – Stephen Covey
Affirmation I used
I move with purpose and patience, knowing that slowing down is the fastest path to what matters most.