Cool Down: Getting Further
by Going Slower by Steve Prentice
(John Wiley & Sons)
It
happened by chance for me to read the book “ Cool Down : Getting Further by
Going Slower”. As blasphemous as it may sound in today’s world, the author propounds
the concept of being “Slow” in the current world where Speed is everything.
The
central premise of the book is as following
:
1)
“Work expands to fill the
available time” .The more you are wired the more you work…
2)
“We are like a lamp store…where
everything is on all the time”….The only result is a burnout
3)
“Law of Diminishing Returns
is real”…your 60 hour work week does not always yield 60 hours of productivity
In
essence, people are really losing the “thinking” time in the urge to do the
things and act in Silos. So, the author proposes the following solutions:
1)
Stay away from the
Infomania (Information overload). For example,When you want to focus on something
important, inform the required people and stay away from the distractions &
just focus on the job
2)
Pause,Thinks & Respond:
Take the example of the emails…the general tendency of people is to respond as
fast as they can to an email. While this may sound good ,people do not put
enough thought into the first email resulting in “Email Badminton” where emails
flow back and forth. This is where the power of “Slow” comes into effect. An
effective email response even if it is delayed a bit is always better.
3)
Be Slow to be fast : So the
concept of “Slow” does not meant to do things slowly, but to unleash the
creativity by pacing things down. Some of the solutions that Steve Prentice
proposes are
a.
Blue-skying…Just stare at
the blue-sky and feel the breeze in the nape of the neck
b.
Physical Exercise every day
c.
Playing a sport that you
like
d.
Or simply having Tea as a
meditative exercise …just like the Japanese do
If you wonder that these are purely time-wasting techniques when
things are piling up, think again. These are the rejuvenation methods for your
self while your mind is still creating synapse connections. By following these
techniques you are in fact toning up your mind & body to face the stresses
of the day.
In my
opinion, this is a great book with lot of practical tips for all of those who
are in the daily treadmill of life muddled with issues of Multi-tasking, Distractions
& Work-life balance.