There’s a classic story about a tortoise and hare that that most of us heard when we were younger. In case you need a refresher, this will help you get up to speed:

Let’s be real — our culture loves the hare.

We give the hare a microphone and put him on stages to talk about going all in, grinding until you drop, and getting it done no matter what. We buy books written by the hare. We celebrate the hare for existing, and extol the benefits of his philosophy.

But for as much as we praise the tortoise in this fairy tale, we completely overlook her value in our world.

Instead of recognizing the benefits of her slow pace, we write her off as lazy. We assume she doesn’t want to go fast, and turn our noses up at her “lack of discipline.”

But when we watch her stride, confidently, unapologetically across the finish line, then we want her strategy. We didn’t think it was possible to win the race by going slow and steady. We only interview her once she emerges as the underdog, a true cinderella story.

It’s practically the default to subscribe to the hare’s philosophy, so this makes complete sense. In a culture that praises overworking, perpetual busy-ness, and “sleeping when you’re dead,” it’s especially difficult to question the hare’s desire for speed, let alone entertain the idea that slowing down is a better strategy overall.

While this tale is typically used as a tool to teach kids that slow and steady wins the race, it’s also a warning about going too fast, and the most underrated productivity philosophy of our time.

It often feels like time is slipping through our fingers, so we rush through our daily routines, frantically trying to keep up with the pace of our next task, appointment, or obligation. There’s always an undercurrent of feeling rushed. Am I doing enough? Should I be doing more? What if I fall behind?

And while the reminder of our limited time on this planet isn’t always a bad thing, it by no means should be the thing making us feel panicked every waking second of the day. So how do we switch out of rush mode?

Before going deep on the slow and steady approach to productivity, it’s important that we’re all on the same page about a couple things:

Assumption #1 — Productivity is morally neutral

Productivity is a means to an end, not the end itself. Having a more productive day doesn’t make you good, just as being less productive doesn’t make you bad. Being busy doesn’t make you more important, it just makes you busy. When you detach morality from productivity, it becomes easier to detach ego from productive output. It also becomes easier to see that the tortoise and the hare are on the same moral playing field — as much as our instincts want to name the hare as The Better Person.

Assumption #2 — When you take your time, you have more of it

The secret to making time feel more abundant and manageable is — counterintuitively— to slow down. By deliberately resisting the urge to rush, time appears to stretch out before you. Instead of being swept away by the chaos, you’ll know how to stay centered.

Okay, so we can all agree the tortoise is actually on to something. Now let’s talk about where the hare has it wrong.

The Impact of Life in the Fast Lane

Like it or not, the modern world praises efficiency and maximization, so it’s no wonder you got the idea that it’s admirable to run yourself into a brick wall in the name of working hard. For many people, it’s only at the point of burnout that it starts dawning on you that hustle culture did you dirty, and no one has benefitted except your employer.

But even before you reach the point of burnout, this do more and do it now mentality doesn’t actually help you, because ironically, our addiction to rushing makes us significantly less effective.

The research bears out that the constant juggling act makes you make twice as likely to make a mistake and makes your work take twice as long to finish.

People love to wear Multitasker as a badge of honor, when in fact, it’s tanking your productivity by 40% due to the constant task-switching.

When you take on too many tasks all at once, your cortisol (stress hormone) levels are in a prolonged and elevated state, which can damage your brain and mental health over time — this is where it really starts to snowball.

When you rush through your days, you begin to forego appreciation of small but important experiences like petting the cute dog in line at the coffee shop, being fully present with someone you love, or celebrating the completion of something challenging (because you’re too busy moving on to the next thing).

Furthermore, Marc Milstein, Ph.D., and author of The Age-Proof Brain: New Strategies to Improve Memory, Protect Immunity, and Fight Off Dementia explains that when we multitask, we don’t give our brain the chance to commit critical information to long-term memory. The hippocampus (the part of the brain largely associated with memory and information retention) functions like an information waiting room that decides which pieces of info to retain.

“We are telling our brain when we multitask that some things are not worth remembering,” he says.

The research on longevity and happiness clearly points in one direction: one of the key components of feeling happier is slowing down enough to enjoy your life while it’s happening.

Get in Loser, We’re Going Slower

It’s easy to tie your self-confidence and self-worth to your to-do lists. The unchecked tasks at the end of the day become evidence of a story about not being good enough.

The unfortunate reality is that most people are completely unrealistic about what’s possible to accomplish every day, which can keep you trapped in the vicious cycle.

The good news is that this situation can be alleviated by shifting expectations and performing experiments about what’s possible. By letting go of what you think you “should” be able to handle, you’ll be able to be honest about what really is possible right now. Not what’s possible for someone else or what a former version of you could handle — you, right now, with your current circumstances.

If you’re stuck in the trap of high expectations followed by feelings of failure, try finding the 1-3 things that you’ll feel great having done, and if anything else gets done, it’s just icing on the cake.

Approaching your day with more realistic expectations allows you to start releasing some of the pressure of “getting it right” — your day will suddenly become a whole lot easier.

When you first practice switching from doing everything to doing less, it can feel wrong. You might feel the desire to find more responsibilities to take on without even realizing it, because you’re using to associating “having a full plate” to “being productive.”

These are the times to reaffirm that progress isn’t always about the speed of your journey, but the direction you’re headed.

Take Your Foot Off the Gas

Instead of berating yourself for what didn’t get done today, celebrate what you have accomplished over weeks, months, or even years. Zoom out and recognize the resilience you display daily, navigating the challenges that come your wants.

You’ve probably had enough criticism for one lifetime, and you don’t need to keep self-inflicting more — let yourself see the wins.

Slowing down doesn't mean neglecting your responsibilities or letting your obligations slip through the cracks. It's about approaching each task, interaction, or experience with a deliberate pace.

This could look like staying present for your before-work routine and not checking email until you actually need to. It could mean conceding to the traffic on your commute and using the time to listen to your favorite album, rather than grumbling about how much faster you should be going.

To “slow down” means to opt out of the manufactured urgency that tells us everything is important and it must be done right now or else you’ll fall behind.

After all — what’s the rush?