The Real Advantage

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I often feel uncomfortable making decisions or providing guidance to my clients unless I’ve had time to think. When I’m rushed I feel stressed. Sometimes all I need is a few hours. Sometimes days. Other time weeks.

Thinking time is non-linear. The time you spend thinking – walking around a problem in a three-dimensional way and exploring all of the various perspectives and mental models – pays you back tenfold in the end. The problem for those who are shortsighted is that this time will appear as a negative for a while because it looks like nothing is getting done. This situation is a great example of what I call first-order negative, second-order positive.