The Law of Reversed Effort: Slow Down to Speed Up
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Last week, I posted a short thought:
The worst mistakes in life are made when you try to do fast what’s meant to be done slow. Real, durable things take a long time to build. Careers. Businesses. Relationships. Health. There are no hacks or shortcuts. The long way is the right way.
The idea clearly struck a chord, reaching millions of impressions in a few days.
It reminded me of one of my favorite Zen parables:
A martial arts student approaches his teacher and asks, "How long will it take me to master this craft?"
The teacher replies, "10 years."
The student, looking impatient, responds, "I want to master it faster than that. I will work harder than anyone else. I will push myself to practice for many hours every single day. I won't rest until I become a master. How long will it take then?"
The teacher considers this new information, smiles, and answers, "20 years."
The lesson is simple: You can’t brute force your way to success.
This is the Law of Reversed Effort, a term coined by author Aldous Huxley:
"The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed."
It's easy to find examples from your own life where this concept rings true:
- Try to press on a creative task, you become less creative.
- Try to push to find the perfect partner, you rarely find that person.
- Try to force yourself to fall asleep, you stare at the ceiling awake.
The most meaningful things in life take a long time to build—which is precisely why they’re so meaningful.
What’s more, the length and difficulty of the climb to achieve these things is essential in how it prepares you for having them.
If you got dropped at the top of the mountain, you'd pass out from the altitude. The climb physically and mentally prepares you for the summit. This is the reason winning the lottery often ends up being a curse—the climb to earn the money prepares you for the challenges of having it.
Never seek to do fast what is meant to be done slow.
Durable businesses. Loving relationships. Robust health. These things all take a long time to build. And just as the martial arts teacher cautioned, if you try to force it—if you try to speed up—you may actually slow yourself down.
As the old military saying goes:
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
