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‘Slow is smooth, smooth is fast’ is a mantra about how to go fast. I’ve heard it in a number of contexts - racing drivers use it, so do woodworkers, so do music
by jameshart 2y ago
‘Slow is smooth, smooth is fast’ is a mantra about how to go fast. I’ve heard it in a number of contexts - racing drivers use it, so do woodworkers, so do musicians. None of the people using it are trying to tell you to not try to get things done fast. Speed is still the goal, it’s just about the approach you take in how you act moment to moment, while trying to get things done fast.
- borski 2y agoAmen. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
- dsr_ 2y agoDoing it once correctly is faster than doing it two (or more times) incorrectly. And when you try to go fast, it's usually by being incorrect and hoping that it won't matter this one time.
- dylan604 2y agoThis is something I've learned to really like after hearing it once, we never have time to do it right the first time, yet we always seem to find time to do it wrong multiple times.
- FireBeyond 2y agoMy old boss would say "No-one is impressed by how quickly you did something half-right."
- margalabargala 2y agoThis is true only in cases where the correct way to do something is known. In the face of unknowns, it is frequently more efficient in terms of time to iterate multiple times as a method of exploring the space to determine proper paths forwards. SpaceX would be one example of this.
- jameshart 2y agoBut you can iterate smoothly, systematically, making sure you learn from the data you gather through your experiments and making informed hypotheses… or you can iterate haphazardly, reacting with kneejerk guesses based on whatever went wrong last.
- borski 2y agoThis isn’t an argument against iterating. It’s about iterating with intent, rather than iterating just for the sake of iterating. Taking notes, making educated guesses and hypotheses, planning experiments that are adjusted based on what you learned in the prior ones, etc.? All examples of “slow and smooth.”