The surprisingly useful art of slowing down

There is a strange thing that happens when you're cycling somewhere you've never been before.

You start fast.

Then the road gets longer.

Then the hill gets steeper.

Then you realise you have made a terrible tactical decision.

Software projects have hills too.

Sometimes the fastest way forward is to stop for five minutes.

Read the thing again.

Ask the question you almost didn't ask.

Look at what the code actually does rather than what everyone thinks it does.

I've lost plenty of time by trying to save time.

I've also solved problems surprisingly quickly by not touching the keyboard for a while.

Slowing down isn't the opposite of progress.

Sometimes it's how you avoid taking the scenic route through a swamp.

Find your cadence.

Then keep going.