Rushing is a
part of life, especially these days. It
is not something that is going to go away – it’s probably going to get
worse. As soon as you realize you are
going faster than you normally go, slow down.
Or if that’s not possible, make sure you’re looking at what you are
doing and thinking about the line-of-fire and balance, traction or grip.
Trying to do
many things at once is another form of rushing. It’s different than walking
faster or trying to drive faster. Trying to do lots of things faster, all at
the same time can easily cause eyes on task and mind on task problems. Consider
a restaurant where a group of people or groups of people just happen to all
come in at the same time. The chef will
have more orders, appetizers, salads and entrees on the go than normal. More than likely, the chef will rush.
When you know
you are doing more things at once than you normally would, you should:
·
Pause
for a second and look around for anything that could hurt you if you made a
critical error
·
Think
about the correct order or sequence
·
Do
one thing at a time and think about what you’re doing until it’s finished; then
move on to the next task
·
Remind
yourself that it’s not worth getting hurt over
Even if you
slow down to a pace that allows you to avoid critical errors, it doesn’t mean
everyone else will. When other people
are rushing, they will be more likely to make mistakes and the chance of them
hurting you or someone else increases.
If you see someone else rushing – whether it’s on foot or in a vehicle,
you should:
·
Recognize
they will be more likely to make an error
·
Try
to stay out of their way (get out of the line of fire)
The idea that
rushing causes mistakes is as old as the hills. “Haste makes waste” is not a
new expression. Time management,
organizational skills and planning can prevent having to rush. If you can’t prevent rushing, use your
Critical Error Reduction Techniques, or CERTS, to help you recognize the
patterns that increase risk of injury and how to reduce the risk.
