This is another aphorism attributed to Benjamin Franklin engraved on one of the many stone slabs you find around Penn’s walkways. This one caught my attention this morning.

It is true. I would argue, though, that haste has its place within the careful, deliberate, well-thought processes. Of course one needs to plan things ahead, slow down, and be methodical. This is what Daniel Kahneman calls “system 2 thinking”. Sometimes, though, too much planning, too much carefulness, becomes a default mode of thinking. The end result is paralysis, for action demands to stop thinking.

The rough first draft is going to look like a vomit of ideas. At least it came to existence. The first dance class will make you look like a fool, but at least you had the courage to take it. The multiple short emails you sent before heading to spin class? At least you communicated back, if only to say “I will elaborate more later”.

The difference between doing nothing and doing something is infinite. If you are not in a rush, you think time is in your side. It is not.

Haste makes waste, yes. What is missing is that waste can then be transformed, refined, and polished. So go ahead, create that waste, quickly.