Have you heard this saying before?

Apparently it comes from the Navy SEALs:

“Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”

It’s easy to imagine SEALs working this way.

They don’t rush their preparation. They don’t cut corners when cleaning their rifle. And they don’t jump out of their helicopter a second before they’re supposed to.

It’s harder to remember this for ourselves.

We don’t need to imagine we’re special operatives as we go about our days. (Yikes, way too stressful.)

But, as much as we might hate to hear it, slowing down is often the answer.

I can’t tell you how often people email me with a similar story:

And the story always ends the same:

Burnout.

As inconvenient as it may be sometimes, we’re all human and we all have limits.

And if we don’t slow down, our bodies eventually make us slow down.

I experienced two years of burnout myself. That was a while ago now—soon it will have been a decade. I’ve learned a lot since. But I vividly remember what it was like.

Stress. The feeling of just not being able to do basic stuff. Getting frustrated with myself for not being able to do basic stuff. More stress!

The main thing I learned from burnout?

We must listen to our bodies. We must slow down when they tell us to.

If you’re stressed and you don’t slow down, your body will force you to.

Slowing down is better for your health, is much less stressful, feels better, makes your days more enjoyable…

… and it’s the best thing you can do for long-term productivity, too.

Because slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

Slow down!