Slow and Steady vs Fast and Inconsistent

Most people are familiar with the story of the hare and the turtle. The story illustrates the difference between different strategies and how one is superior to another in a race. The theme can easily incorporated into our life, like goal setting for that matter. It's a common idea that with patience and hard work your goal will be achieve, which stems from the theme of the hare and the turtle. What most people forget however is just how more complex reality is compared to the age old folklore. They forget that real life contains a terrain with many twist and turns and requires different strategies to overcome rather than just the straight line race of the hare and the turtle, in which case the best strategy is very simple, to move slow and steady.


I feel that there is use for the strategy of the hare, fast and inconsistent, at some points of our life. And I feel there is also use for the strategy of the turtle, slow and steady, in some areas of our lives. Mastery over the use of the two different strategies is what we need to move through the real life terrain as efficient way as possible.

When is Slow and Steady a Good Strategy

Slow and Steady strategy is most important when endurance and distance is critical part of it. It allows you to maintain your stamina for a longer period of time. Therefore greater distance is achieved. Here are a few examples when endurance and distance is a major part for the success.

1. Education: No matter how slow you go when you obtain knowledge on a certain area, very few would care about how long you earned that knowledge. What matters you have the knowledge.
2. Relationship: Relationship grows overtime, its better to have a relationship that progresses slowly and build stronger bonds than having a quick burst of infatuation only to be miserable when it's over.
3. Fitness: Liposuction is a growing trend in this century but it is often a quick and useless not to mention expensive solution to extra fat in the body. Taking a much slower approach(takes years) is a much better strategy that yields results that no doctors can ever match; Diet and Exercise.

When is Fast and Inconsistent a Good Strategy

Fast and inconsistent is most useful when the goal is to cover ground as fast as possible. When distance is not an issue but surface area. 

1. Marketing: Marketers goal is to allow as much viewers as possible to see his/her product. Those pesky advertisements you see before watching your youtube video is an example.
2. Time Constraint: When you've made the mistake of procrastination, it's important to at least turn something is even if the quality is bad.

Correctly identifying what type of strategy is most suitable for accomplishing your goals is essential to achieving those goals. Sometimes even a mix of the two strategies can complete the job.