The Importance of Speed in Professional Work and Productivity
By
gsky
5mo ago· 3 min readenOpinion
65/100
Toasty
Bagelometer↗
Lightly browned and well buttered. A solid pick from the rack.
Score65TypeopinionSentimentpositive
Summary
The article argues that speed is crucial in professional work, emphasizing that people often underestimate the importance of moving quickly. The author shares personal experience of spending six months on a URL parser project, noting that the lengthy timeline was a negative rather than a positive. The piece suggests that slow-moving environments are unlikely to produce good results, and that to fully utilize one's cognitive abilities, one must work at a pace close to the speed of thought. The article uses the example of PhD students completing their theses in different timeframes to illustrate the value of efficiency and momentum in professional work.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledThe one constant that I have observed in my professional life is that people underestimate the need to move fast.
I once spent six months writing a URL parser. But the fact that it took so long is not a feature, it is not a positive, it is a negative.
If everything is slow-moving around you, it is likely not going to be good.
To fully make use of your brain, you need to move as close as possible to the speed of your thought.
The one constant that I have observed in my professional life is that people underestimate the need to move fast. Of course, doing good work takes time. I once spent six months writing a URL parser. But the fact that it took so long is not a feature, it i
