It seems counter-intuitive, but when you’re being pushed to hurry up the best thing you can do for both productivity and safety is to pause. That feeling of being rushed is an emotional response. The “two minds” theory states that you can’t think clearly when you’re in a emotional state. The emotion part of the brain takes over and shuts down the logical part. Think of how you’ve responded when angry or frustrated. That’s why we have the expression, “I was so mad I couldn’t think straight.”
Yes, you need to acknowledge that time is critical. But keep your cool. One technique is to stop and reconsider the problem. Think it through. Did you correctly define it, earlier? How can you proceed methodically to solve the problem? What do you need for each of the next few steps? Going through this process puts your mind back on the logic track, exactly where you need it to maximize your safety and your productivity.
Often when going through this process, you can identify wasted steps that you would have otherwise taken. The time invested in thinking this way can prevent a rush job from becoming a botch-job or your last job!
