The Path of Least Resistance

More often than I would like to admit, the path of least resistance is my trail of choice. Given the alternative of taking the long and winding road filled with stops and starts, delays in waiting on others, and taking the time to get input from others, the straight and narrow path brings the necessary task to completion quickly. It gives the illusion that it will make my life easier. But, as history has proven, just as I am enjoying my fast-paced walk down the simple path, I find myself at an impasse. My desire to create efficiencies through speed, limited engagement with others, and turning a blind eye to the details, only results in having to start my trek all over again.

I don’t think I am alone in choosing this path and in some cases, it works out in my favor. Yet, the decision to be efficient is less often driven by the simplicity of the task and more often from my emotional state. When tasks become overwhelming and we find ourselves overbooked, it is easy to say “the heck with it” and just get it off our list and move on to the next item. In the process we sacrifice communicating with others, getting necessary feedback, asking the right questions, and my favorite… assuming others will be fine with our decisions.

So, how do we avoid this often dead-end trail? For me, it requires taking an assessment of the task up front. This includes asking some critical questions: Is the deadline negotiable? Do I have the resources I need to complete the project? Have I considered various solutions? Can I reasonably set aside the necessary time to do the project well?

It would be great if there were a GPS for life that would guide us in the right direction without much thought. Until they make an “app for that,” I will just have to rely on my old fashioned mode of reminding myself to slow down.

Comments

[Susan Schneider]

Hi Jon – thanks for the comment and the insight – you are absolutely right our App is our Values! Sounds like a future blog post to me. Thanks for the great idea!

[Jon Morse]

Susan you're an entrepreneur at heart. An "App" for life? Hmmm. I'm thinking we are already wired for that. It's called values. We live them daily but maybe we're not always aware of how they effect our behavior. Sounds like a coach could help us understand and realize how our app has impact on our decisions. Great post!