Even for those who are not in school, September seems to be a month of “leaping into action”. We mentally switch off the “summer vacation” mode, and immediately immerse ourselves in various tasks as we move from the last day of August to the first day of September.
Some of us may not even have the “summer vacation” mode. These people seem to be always in a hurry, jumping from one thing to another.
Many matters in the world do require our attention and intervention, yes, but very few of them are actually “urgent” that require immediate decision. We love to “leap into action” because our brain loves to take short cuts and prefers an instantaneous, intuitive, and even impulsive approach (remember System 1 thinking from “Thinking Fast and Slow”?)
Just take a look at nature, seasons change without our help. Take a moment to go inward, our heart and lungs function without us giving them a to-do list.
If we take a step back, we may realize that a lot of matters do resolve by themselves. Things may take longer than we would like it to be, but they do come to a natural conclusion. And for things that do require our attention and intervention, they will always be benefited by a more thoughtful, deliberate approach.
So next time when you are about to make a quick decision, give yourself a 10-minute break, a half an hour even. You may come up with a very different plan than what you initially had in your head!