56. Only handle it once. Why slowing down can save you time.

As I type this post, I’m sitting in an urgent care facility. I’m typing with one hand, which is taking much longer than it should.

I was moving too fast, trying to do too many things at once, and I cut my finger. It’s pretty bad and stitches are inevitable.

A sense of urgency is great. But it’s more efficient and productive to live the motto, OHIO, which stands for “only handle it once.”

We think it will help to move quickly to get more done. But it doesn’t work that way. When we move too fast we make mistakes. Mistakes that take a long time to fix.

It’s important to be present, one task at a time. If you don’t, you might be a writer who has to type with one hand for a few months, or whatever the equivalent is for you.