BY JEFF CORBETT

President Ronald Reagan loved to tell the story of the newspaper photographer who was summoned to his editor’s office.

“There’s a huge fire on the outskirts of town,” roared the editor. “I’ve got a plane waiting for you at the airport to take pictures. Now go! We’re on deadline!”

The photographer sped to the airport, and finding a private plane warming up on the tarmac, jumped in and yelled, “Let’s go.”

The pilot wasted no time becoming airborne.

Once over the fire, the photographer commanded, “Now, go lower and circle around the fire!”

“Why?” asked the pilot.

“Because I need some good photos for my newspaper, and I’m on deadline, so c’mon!”

There was an awkward silence in the cockpit.

“You mean,” the pilot finally asked, “you’re not the instructor?”

Got Haste?

One of the most repeated quotes in America today comes from Benjamin Franklin, who observed “Haste makes waste.”

Like the frenzied photographer jumping into the plane, it’s so easy to get swallowed up by today’s hectic pace of life.

Yes, haste is considered a bad habit because it typically involves rushed, careless action that leads to mistakes, poor quality, and wasted effort. It is characterized by high stress and reduced cognitive function.

While speed can be productive, haste often results in inefficiency and poor decision-making. Words spoken in haste can destroy friendships and relationships.

Haste creates these issues:

· Decreased Quality and Errors: Rushing causes careless mistakes and poor-quality work because of a lack of focus and attention to detail.
· Poor Decision-Making: Hasty decisions are often made without due deliberation, leading to irrational or uninformed choices.
· Safety Hazards and Accidents: Moving too fast can lead to accidents and injuries, often requiring medical attention.
· Emotional and Social Consequences: Haste can lead to feelings of regret, frustration, and embarrassment in front of others.
· Missed Opportunities: By failing to analyze situations properly, you may miss key details and opportunities.
· Bad Vibes for Business: It creates excessive, unneeded work and destroys team morale, argues Entrepreneur.com.
· Reduced Efficiency (Waste of Time): Haste often makes tasks take longer in the long run because errors require the work to be done over, reinforcing the “haste makes waste” adage.

There’s a way to assure haste is out of the picture. You may recall in an earlier column my advice when you have to make a very important or irrevocable decision. Always give it two dawns. That’s right, wait two days to make sure your decision is the best one. During those two days, consider all of your options, and talk it over with a trusted friend, an expert, or a professional.

Hurry Sickness

Yes, there really is such a thing.

Crystal Raypole of Healthline, a health information website, says that despite its name, hurry sickness isn’t an actual medical or mental health condition, but it is significant.

Harvard Business Review explained that the term “hurry sickness” was introduced in 1974 by cardiologists Meyer Friedman and R.H. Rosenman to describe the damaging effects of Type A personality traits — urgency, high achievement drive, competitiveness — on cardiovascular health.

“Hurry sickness … encapsulates a set of behaviors and emotions — impatience, chronic rushing, and a constant sense of time scarcity — that can wreak havoc on a person’s physical and mental well-being,” HBR continued.

Here’s a “haste” parable for those who embrace hurrying and rushing:

A young monk once asked his teacher, “Master, how do I reach enlightenment faster?”

The master replied, “If you hurry, it will take you ten years.”

The monk frowned and asked, “And if I don’t hurry?”

The master smiled. “Then perhaps five,” he answered.

Doing Two Things at Once?

Are you a multi-tasker? Guess what? Multi-tasking is a form of “Hurry Sickness.”

I know people who boast about their multi-tasking prowess, but science clearly shows the brain cannot process two things at the same time.

Instead of simultaneous action, the brain pays a cognitive “tax” to reorient, costing up to 40 percent of productive time and increasing errors. This “tax” is called a “switch cost.”

The American Psychological Association says “switch costs” also create mental fatigue. Constant context-switching leads to faster cognitive exhaustion and lower-quality work.

Yes, you are correct that there are situations where multi-tasking is required, like cooking dinner while supervising an energetic three-year-old child.

Texting while driving, which is multi-tasking, is a huge no-no.

The National Traffic Highway Safety Administration has this to say: “Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.”

The AAA Foundation found that any glance away from the road over two seconds doubles crash risk.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Festina lente is a Latin phrase meaning “make haste slowly,” famously adopted by Roman Emperor Augustus to emphasize the need for balanced action—combining speed with caution to avoid reckless errors.

The historian Suetonius recorded that Augustus used this saying frequently to encourage measured action, preferring a safe commander to a rash one. He believed in taking calculated, steady steps to achieve long-term success. The concept embodies a balanced approach to progress: moving forward swiftly, but with caution and intention.

The Festina lente motto was often represented by a dolphin (speed) intertwined with an anchor (slowness). Another symbol used was a tortoise with a sail.

Final Thoughts

Two quotes put a bow on today’s column.

First, for those always in a hurry, listen to author William Feather: “ Plenty of people miss their share of happiness. Not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.”

And for those who spend life jumping from one urgency to another, Mother Teresa advises: “Never travel faster than your guardian angel can fly.”

Lastly, here’s your homework. Take a listen to Mac Davis’ 1974 hit “Stop and Smell the Roses.” It’s great advice in our hasty and harried world today.

Jeff Corbett is an experienced public speaker, meeting facilitator and sales/marketing professional. He lives in Statesville.