Question

For many people, there are essentially only two speeds, fast and faster. It seems that,
most of the time, we are scrambling around, moving very quickly, doing three or four
things at once. Often we are only paying partial attention or half listening to the
people we are working with. Our minds are cluttered and overly busy.
Perhaps the reason so many of us spend so much time scrambling is that we fear
falling behind or losing our edge. Our competitors, and everyone else around us, seem
to be moving so fast that we feel we must do the same.
It i important to note that, in this hyper, frenetic state of mind, our concentration
suffers. We waste previous energy and have a tendency to make mistakes. When
we're scrambling, it's difficult to determine what's truly most relevant because we are
so preoccupied with getting everything done. Because we are moving so quickly, it's
easy to get stressed out, nervous, and agitated. And because we are so "on edge,"
things get on our nerves easily and often. When we are scrambling, it's really easy to
sweat the small sruff.
As an experiment, see if you can make a conscious effort to slow down - both your
thinking and your actions. If you do, I think you'llbe pleasantly surprised to discover
that, despite the slower speed, you'll become more relaxed and far more effective.
The reason this happens is that you'll regain your composure and be able to see the
bigger picture. Your stress level will drop dramatically and it will even seem like you
have more time. Your thinking and listening skills will become sharper and more
honed. You'llbe able to anticipate problems rather than finding yourself in the middle
of them so often.
I'd estimate that I operate at about half the speed I did ten years ago. I get about twice
as much work accomplished! It's actually quite remarkable how much y'ou can do
when you're calm and collected. And perhaps even more importantly, you enjoy what
you are doing far more than when you're rushing around. I fully acknowledge the
need to be productive, and lrealize how much work there is to do. However, ironic as
it may seem, its often the case that you'll get more done in less time when you stop
scrambling so much.



1. What does the writer mean when he says "...there are essentially only two speeds,
fast and faster".
2. Why are we compelled to behave in this manner?
3. What happens to our efficiency when we move in this hyper fashion?
4. Give reasons why you would function better when you slowed down?
5. Give a title to the passage.

Answer 1

1. When the writer says that there are essentially only two speeds, he means that people are constantly in a hurry, moving very quickly and doing more than one thing at the same time. We pay only partial attention to what people are saying, as our minds are stressed and busy because we want to get things done fast or faster than the the pace that we are in.

2. We are compelled to behave in in this manner, because we are afraid to fall behind others and our competitors seem to be moving ahead. 

3.  When we move in this hyper fashion we tend to make more mistakes and lose a lot of energy, which in turn reduces our efficiency.. 

4. If we were to slow down, we would function better as our stress levels would drop and we would be making more time, our thinking and listening skills will become sharper and more honed. We would also be able to anticipate problems better, rather than being stuck in between them.

5. A suitable title for this passage would be "Work quickly done, is not always well done". 

Answer 2

1. The these speeds, fast and faster, the writer wants to lay stress on the fact that we are always in race with others and try to beat them with our faster pace. 

2. We are compelled to behave in this manner because we don't want to lose 'the edge' or fall behind. 

3. Scrambling reduces our efficiency and we make more mistakes. Things get on our nerves and we become stressed, agitated losing judgment to think what is relevant.

4. Slowing down will bring calm and composure and in that state of mind we can work more efficiently accomplishing double than what we did while scrambling. It is because we will be less stressed, as a result we'll have better thinking and listening skills which would enable us to foresee problems and keep them at bay.

5. Far From the Madding Scrambling