Source: http://joshuaearl.com/table-flips-and-karate-punches/ - Josh Earle (edited)
Every programmer knows that trying to bend a computer to your will is often extremely frustrating.
I was venting to my buddies, John and Derick, and John immediately spotted my problem: “Slow down. Stop rushing.”
He was right. I believed that I should already be done with whatever I was working on.
My kids have a little block set with different shaped holes in the lid. When they were learning to use this toy, they’d try to put the star block in the triangular hole and when it didn’t fit they’d start pounding the lid and howling at the toy. That was me.
After thinking about what John said, I made an effort to approach my work differently. I picked one task and decided to work on it patiently whether it took me five minutes or five hours. I ignored the other items on my to-do list.
This task end up taking half the day to complete. Earlier in the week I would have gone nuts but after working through it systematically, I was in a positive frame of mind and simply ready to tackle the next thing on my list. I was able to knock it out in half the time I’d planned.
In karate class, there was a saying: “Whatever you seek, you’re least likely to find.” In other words, if you try too hard to throw a really fast punch, your body tenses up and you slow down. That applies to more than just punches.
NOTE; Here's why you slow down when you think you have to go fast. You think something bad is going to happen if you don't get what you want so you freeze with fear. In sports, it's called a choke.
See also:
Why do people choke under pressure.
