Throttle your execution, hold onto it, make some tweaks

My copywriting manager used to joke:

Always tell the truth, just don’t always be telling it.

It’s a powerful mantra about honoring your integrity, but also honoring the needs of the moment. Because you still have to read the room. There’s a time to be honest, and there’s a time to sell cars.

That doesn’t make you a liar, simply discerning about the information you reveal, when you reveal it, and to whom.

One application of this mantra relates to the controversial issue of work speed.

*What happens if you complete all your projects in only a few hours each day?
*Should you feel guilty and invent new tasks for yourself?
*Can you ask your boss for more assignments?
*Do you slack off and watch guitar tutorials all day?
*Should you find clever ways to preserve the illusion of productivity?

Work as fast as you can, just don’t always finish as fast as you need.

Here’s how it works. Say you get an assignment that’s supposed to take you a week to complete, but you’re done on the second day.

Instead of submitting it right away, throttle your execution. Hold onto it. Make some tweaks. Then finally submit it on the due date.

You will always be valued as someone who completes work judiciously. Meanwhile, you will also free up time work on personal projects, learn new skills, go to the gym, walk your dog, play with your kids, take breaks and accomplish chores around the house.

Remember, we live in an asynchronous remote world now. As long as you’re not slow, there’s no problem. What people don’t know won’t hurt them.

Work as fast as you can, just don’t always finish as fast as you need.

Throttling is a thing of beauty. I remember first learning this technique while working for a tech firm. Our startup made a text messaging service for franchise owners. And we launched a new throttling feature that customers had been asking about for years. This is how our company founder explained it to me, and I’ll never forget it:

Imagine you were flying an airplane, and only had two gauges, on and off. That would be a problem. Every pilot needs a mechanism to slowly make the aircraft’s engines go faster on takeoff, and go slower on landing. They need a lever, rather than a button. Otherwise, it’s going to be one hell of a bumpy ride.

In software, throttling works in a similar way. Developers use a lever called a throttle to regulate the speed at which application processing is conducted. It’s a rate limiter. For our customers, companies who need to connect with franchise candidates, throttling means our texting software sends messages less frequently to the ones who are not engaged.

In short, throttling helps us spend less on sends that are unlikely to result in leads. The lead volume stays the same, while click rate goes up. This results in the best quality leads for the organization.

Throttling offers algorithmic reassurance that we’re engaging with the highest quality candidates we can find. This equips you take off and land when the conditions are ideal.

Who knew airplanes, computers and human beings were so similar?

Because the bigger idea here is about human performance. Throttling relates to bandwidth management. And all can benefit from learning how to regulate the flow of fuel in our own personal engines.

Not only for our own sanities, but for the sanities of those in our proximity. Speed can be a tricky thing, and there’s no shame in slowing down to accommodate other people’s differing tempos.

There’s a sense of compassion in throttling. Meeting people where they are. Joining their journey instead of demanding they keep up with yours.

How’s your throttle? Are you able to adjust your speed so the ride is less bumpy?

This skill is priceless. Both for our productivity and our connectivity.

Next time you finish a week’s worth of tasks in two days, remember the mantra.

Work as fast as you can, just don’t always finish as fast as you need.

Tell the truth, just don’t always be telling it.

Have you learned how to regulate the flow of fuel in your engine?