We typically come across two words when it comes to do a job in expedited manner. Doing in hurry or doing it quickly. Both of them mean to do something faster than normal. But while "hurry" is used in more of a pejorative tone, "quickly" gives out a favorable tone.
Now, what exactly makes that difference? I think the difference is the control one has over the task at hand. Doing it in hurry typically implies, expediting the process with lesser regard to the task content at hand, there by risking the control over the substance. Doing it quickly is about getting things together, cutting down any inefficiencies, so as to expedite the process, without jeopardizing the task at hand.
For 'tasks', it is quite easy to differentiate between these two ways of handling. But can attitudes and behaviors assume similar differences?
As far as attitudes go, I think, making generalizations, accepting stereotypes typically comes under the "hurry" category.
As far as behaviors go, measuring our success in relation to immediate friends or acquaintances or current situation fall in "hurry" category.
Then comes the question. Should we be quick in attitudes and behaviors too? Being quick is about being open to accept new lines of thought, thereby not having any purposeless conflict periods. and which helps in making quick and clear decisions.
Coming back to the essential question of Time vs Control.., Obviously doing the same thing in lesser time is preferable, as far as productive tasks go (it is a different for creative and emotional endeavors though). But, one can not simply reduce the time spent, without having an impact on the outcome, there by losing control. Also, there is a temptation for solutions which give faster partial solutions, which take us through a path of dead end, with the destination very well in sight, but not reachable., again resulting in lost-control.
So, how can we be reasonably be sure that we are doing things quickly rather than in a hurry? One approach that seem to offer an insight is to reverse the destination vs starting point. Instead of finding options for starting from current point to the destination, start from destination and find options to come towards the starting point. Now, what stops this approach from facing similar issue as the regular one. Well, self-awareness. In first approach, the destination is something which we have not reached yet, and something that is abstract. But in second approach, the "destination" is real, and we are part of it. With this second approach, the initial steps would not mislead us, and as we get closer to the destination, we can always apply this approach again, to get more concrete "starting" steps from destination.
What all this means for attitudes and behaviors. Well plain and simple. It is all about thinking from others' point of view.
