{"id":2155,"date":"2024-11-14T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T00:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/?p=2155"},"modified":"2024-10-26T11:35:56","modified_gmt":"2024-10-26T01:35:56","slug":"stop-working-faster-start-working-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2024\/11\/14\/stop-working-faster-start-working-better\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Working Faster. Start Working Better."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve watched the engineering industry glorify speed over sense for years. We praise people who respond to emails at midnight. We celebrate those who jump from meeting to meeting without breaks. We reward constant availability over actual output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let&#8217;s call this what it is. Broken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I recently came across an article on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-024-02540-0\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-024-02540-0\">Nature.com<\/a> that introduced me to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-024-02540-0\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-024-02540-0\">slow productivity<\/a>. This is the idea that slowing down actually helps you achieve more. And no, we&#8217;re not talking about meditation or mindfulness. It is about fixing a fundamentally broken way of working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s what our current &#8220;productivity&#8221; looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Engineers rushing deliverables without time to think them through<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Back-to-back meetings that could have been emails<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Last-minute demands treated as emergencies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Constant context-switching that kills deep work<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rework. Endless rework.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result? Burned-out teams producing mediocre work they&#8217;re not proud of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We need to stop pretending this is normal. Want to know what real productivity looks like? It&#8217;s not about working faster. It&#8217;s about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Blocking time for deep work and actually protecting it<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Saying no to meetings that lack clear purposes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Setting boundaries around response times<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Automating the repetitive stuff<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Making time to think before doing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Will some people resist this? Absolutely. They&#8217;ll say &#8220;we&#8217;ve always done it this way&#8221; or &#8220;we need to stay competitive.&#8221; But the truth is that rushing work doesn&#8217;t make you competitive. It makes you sloppy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Quality isn&#8217;t about speed. It&#8217;s about giving your brain the space to solve problems properly the first time. It&#8217;s about respecting that good work takes time. And it&#8217;s about understanding that your team&#8217;s burnout isn&#8217;t a badge of honor \u2013 it&#8217;s a sign of failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Try this tomorrow. Block two hours for focused work. Turn off notifications. Work on one thing properly. Then tell me you&#8217;re not more productive than eight hours of constant interruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Slow productivity isn&#8217;t about working less, but rather it&#8217;s about working right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We just need the courage to try it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;ve watched the engineering industry glorify speed over sense for years. We praise people who respond to emails at midnight. We celebrate those who jump from meeting to meeting without breaks. We reward constant availability over actual output. Let&#8217;s call this what it is. Broken. I recently came across an article on Nature.com that introduced me to slow productivity. This&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"Working faster isn't working better. Why the engineering industry needs to slow down to improve quality and stop burnout.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Responding to midnight emails isn't dedication - it's dysfunction. The #engineering industry needs to stop celebrating burnout and start embracing quality. Time to fix broken #WorkCulture and understand why slow is actually faster.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[67],"tags":[66,64,69],"class_list":["post-2155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-team-building","tag-masters","tag-team","tag-thoughts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2159,"url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2024\/10\/31\/why-returning-to-the-office-wont-necessarily-boost-productivity\/","url_meta":{"origin":2155,"position":0},"title":"&#8216;Because I Said So&#8217; Is Not a Return-to-Office Strategy","author":"Ryan Lenihan","date":"31 October 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Recent articles claim people are less productive when working from home. From my experience, this is far from true. But it's not just my observations. Stanford University found a 5% productivity increase during remote work, and the University of Sydney reported similar findings. Another benefit of working from home is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Team Building&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Team Building","link":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/category\/team-building\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Happy business colleagues walking in hallway while coming to work.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/happy-business-colleagues-walking-in-hallway-while-coming-to-work-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/happy-business-colleagues-walking-in-hallway-while-coming-to-work-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/happy-business-colleagues-walking-in-hallway-while-coming-to-work-.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/happy-business-colleagues-walking-in-hallway-while-coming-to-work-.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/happy-business-colleagues-walking-in-hallway-while-coming-to-work-.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/happy-business-colleagues-walking-in-hallway-while-coming-to-work-.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1278,"url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2023\/09\/28\/the-power-of-workplace-culture-in-the-aec-industry\/","url_meta":{"origin":2155,"position":1},"title":"The Power of Workplace Culture in the AEC Industry","author":"Ryan Lenihan","date":"28 September 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Workplace culture is the lifeblood of any organization. It shapes how employees interact, solve problems, and achieve goals. In the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, the importance of a positive workplace culture cannot be overstated. This post explores the role of workplace culture in the AEC industry and how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Team Building&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Team Building","link":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/category\/team-building\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Business Team Working Together In Busy Multi-Cultural Office","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/business-team-working-together-in-busy-multi-cultural-office.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/business-team-working-together-in-busy-multi-cultural-office.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/business-team-working-together-in-busy-multi-cultural-office.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/business-team-working-together-in-busy-multi-cultural-office.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/business-team-working-together-in-busy-multi-cultural-office.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/business-team-working-together-in-busy-multi-cultural-office.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2342,"url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2025\/06\/12\/the-difference-between-performers-and-pretenders\/","url_meta":{"origin":2155,"position":2},"title":"The Difference Between Performers and Pretenders","author":"Ryan Lenihan","date":"12 June 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Ever been in a meeting that could have been an email? Sat through a conversation where someone talks in circles without getting to the point? If that frustrates you, you\u2019re not alone. High performers hate wasted time. In any workplace, there\u2019s a clear divide between those who get things done\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Team Building&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Team Building","link":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/category\/team-building\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"You think you know me? Young guy looking insidious. Human emotions and facial expressions.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/you-think-you-know-me-young-guy-looking-insidious-human-emotions-and-facial-expressions-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/you-think-you-know-me-young-guy-looking-insidious-human-emotions-and-facial-expressions-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/you-think-you-know-me-young-guy-looking-insidious-human-emotions-and-facial-expressions-.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/you-think-you-know-me-young-guy-looking-insidious-human-emotions-and-facial-expressions-.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/you-think-you-know-me-young-guy-looking-insidious-human-emotions-and-facial-expressions-.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/you-think-you-know-me-young-guy-looking-insidious-human-emotions-and-facial-expressions-.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2346,"url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2025\/06\/26\/workplace-chaos-as-productivity-are-you-really-getting-things-done\/","url_meta":{"origin":2155,"position":3},"title":"Workplace Chaos as Productivity. Are You Really Getting Things Done?","author":"Ryan Lenihan","date":"26 June 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"There\u2019s a certain kind of workplace that thrives on chaos. If you\u2019ve ever been in an environment where meetings stack up, spreadsheets multiply, and priorities shift on a daily basis, you know exactly what I mean. It\u2019s not just busy work\u2014it\u2019s the swirl. The swirl is that exhausting cycle of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Team Building&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Team Building","link":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/category\/team-building\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tornado Alley Severe Storm","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tornado-alley-severe-storm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tornado-alley-severe-storm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tornado-alley-severe-storm.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tornado-alley-severe-storm.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tornado-alley-severe-storm.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tornado-alley-severe-storm.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1891,"url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2024\/03\/21\/the-right-to-disconnect\/","url_meta":{"origin":2155,"position":4},"title":"The Right to Disconnect","author":"Ryan Lenihan","date":"21 March 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"It's late. My wife is single-handedly managing dinner and cleanup, very much unlike our usual team effort, because I am stuck, glued to my screen, attending a work meeting that began at 6 pm and has stretched well beyond its scheduled hour. As I finally log off, my bowl of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Team Building&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Team Building","link":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/category\/team-building\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Man relaxing in the hammock.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/man-relaxing-in-the-hammock-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/man-relaxing-in-the-hammock-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/man-relaxing-in-the-hammock-.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/man-relaxing-in-the-hammock-.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/man-relaxing-in-the-hammock-.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/man-relaxing-in-the-hammock-.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1364,"url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/2023\/11\/09\/the-true-cost-of-billable-hours-a-barrier-to-innovation-and-growth\/","url_meta":{"origin":2155,"position":5},"title":"The True Cost of Billable Hours: A Barrier to Innovation and Growth","author":"Ryan Lenihan","date":"9 November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Billable hours have historically been a measure of productivity and profitability in professional services, especially in the AEC industry; however, this obsession is now proven to stifle innovation and threaten market stability. We can draw parallels between the AEC industry and the Big Four accountancy firms, whose practices shed light\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Team Building&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Team Building","link":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/category\/team-building\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Engineer's office","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/engineer-s-office.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/engineer-s-office.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/engineer-s-office.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/engineer-s-office.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/engineer-s-office.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/engineer-s-office.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/smiling-young-woman-working-on-laptop-in-a-modern-loft-space-embodying-productivity.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2155"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2249,"href":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2155\/revisions\/2249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalbbq.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}