"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast"

This is a quote from my triathlon coach.

A triathlon is comprised of three activities - traditionally swim, then bike, then a run. It is very easy to think solely of things like swim stroke, bicycle aerodynamics, and running form when it comes to putting together the pieces of a successful race, but one of the often-missed aspects (from the outsider point of view) is the transition between each discipline. In a race, these are aptly named T1 (Transition 1) and T2 (Transition 2).

To help paint a picture, let's take a moment to walk through what needs to happen during T1. After the swim, the competitor usually, at a minimum, must find their gear bag, take their wetsuit off, take their goggles off, get their bike socks on, get their bike shoes on, get their helmet on, and get their race belt on. Then, there are personal preferences - affixing their Garmin to the bike, putting on their HR monitor, putting on sunscreen, donning cycling sunglasses, etc. In shorter races, missing one thing may not be that bad, but in something like an Ironman where the competitor is about to start off on a 112 mile bike ride - if the glasses or some sort of eye protection is forgotten, eyes are directly exposed to 17-20 mph winds for anywhere from 5-6 hours. Not fun.

So, why am I mentioning all of this? Because it is a great example of a situation with a lot of moving parts, where taking a moment to be mindful of your actions often results in smoother, and ultimately faster, execution.

I find the quote above to be a very simple way to remember that when my mind gets going, moving 100 mph and trying to keep a lot of moving parts in order, that I need to slow down, take a breath, and take the necessary time to be deliberate about my actions. Too often we end up in situations where time is of the essence and we are under pressure to produce results now. I find these situations to be ripe with the possibility of getting ahead of myself, missing a step, having to go back and make a correction (at best), or even redo a lot of work (at worst). I've yet to find a scenario where being hasty and having to redo work is preferred to taking the appropriate amount of time and doing something right the first time.

The quote may have been said in reference to the specifics of a triathlon transition, but 'Slow is smooth, smooth is fast' is something I find application for just about every day, both at work, and at home.

By the way - while my transition times have never been stellar (some people do actually rigorously practice them), I never did forget my glasses, or get to the bike mount line in an Ironman and only then realize I didn't have bike shoes - both of which I've seen happen.