I’ve found myself cringing every time I say to my kids, you’ll have to hurry. And I seem to be saying this all the time. “C’mon, we have to hurry. Quick, brush your teeth. You have to go potty? Well go fast.”
I marvel at people that can gracefully float from one task to the next. Actually, I don’t know anyone who does that but if I did, I would marvel. With this assumption that these superhuman task-to-task floaters exist, I silently berate myself as I stack one “hurry up kids” after the next.
In two weeks The Age of Speed will be launched by Random House in paperback. The media tour will begin and interviewers will want a sneak peek at time saving tips in the book. And here I am, the guru of speed and find that I keep having to explain myself. In the Age of Speed it’s not about being perfect, fast and uber-efficient. It’s about doing the best you can with the time you have.
I heard a story that I was unable to verify. It was about a radio interview with Stephen Covey (author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People). When asked by a reporter what percentage of his day he practiced the Seven Habits he supposedly said, “Oh, about 60%.” What a great, honest answer. He knows what works and does what he can to live a rich life.
Enriching our lives is what most of us want. An enriched life is what we want for our kids.
Recently I came across a new application that speeds up video so that you can view YouTube, Flash or other online video at your own pace. It’s in beta form at the moment. It is supported by Enounce and has a “speed slider” where you control the speed with patented signal processing that prevents “chipmunking” of the audio. Sounds cool. As we launch into another piece of technology that will save us time, let’s never forget the importance of savoring the experience.
My pre-teen kids love YouTube. I immediately wondered if the Enounce app would be a benefit or a curse? Would they use it to save time or would they miss important nuance? But ultimately this is not my choice. How they use their time is their choice. Just the way a BlackBerry is a great tool or a horrible distraction. You choose how to use technology to save time. Hopefully without compromising the richness that life and connection with others has to offer.
My promise to you is that these newsletters never take more than 70 seconds to read. I know you’re busy. You might be in a hurry. Besides, I’ve got to run too. My son needs to get to his guitar lessons. It takes us 17 minutes to drive there if we hit green lights all the way.
“Max. Max? Hurry, we’ve got to go or we’ll be late.” (Or not.)
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