AFFECTED dispatch is one of the most dangerous things to business that can be. It is like that, which the physicians call predigestion, or hasty digestion; which is sure to fill the body full of crudities, and secret seeds of diseases. Therefore measure not dispatch, by the times of sitting, but by the advancement of the business. And as in races it is not the large stride or high lift that makes the speed; so in business, the keeping close to the matter, and not taking of it too much at once, procureth dispatch. It is the care of some, only to come off speedily for the time; or to contrive some false periods of business, because they may seem men of dispatch. But it is one thing, to abbreviate by contracting, another by cutting off. And business so handled, at several sittings or meetings, goeth commonly backward and forward in an unsteady manner. I knew a wise man that had it for a byword, when he saw men hasten to a conclusion, Stay a little, that we may make an end the sooner.
Making a show of speed is one of the greatest dangers to business. It is like what doctors call premature or hasty digestion. This is sure to fill the body with undigested matter and hidden seeds of disease. So measure efficiency not by the length of meetings, but by how much the work advances. In races, neither long strides nor high steps make for speed. Likewise, in business, staying focused and not tackling too much at once gets things done quickly. Some people care only about finishing quickly for the moment. Others invent false stopping points in the work so they can seem efficient. But shortening something by condensing it is different from shortening it by cutting parts off. Business handled this way across several meetings usually moves back and forth without steady progress. I knew a wise man who often said, when he saw people rushing toward a conclusion, “Wait a little, so we can finish sooner.”
On the other side, true dispatch is a rich thing. For time is the measure of business, as money is of wares; and business is bought at a dear hand, where there is small dispatch. The Spartans and Spaniards have been noted to be of small dispatch; Mi venga la muerte de Spagna; Let my death come from Spain; for then it will be sure to be long in coming.
On the other hand, getting things done efficiently is highly valuable. Time is the measure of business, just as money is the measure of goods. Business comes at a high price when little gets done. The Spartans and Spaniards have been known for being slow to act. Mi venga la muerte de Spagna, “Let my death come from Spain.” Then it will certainly take a long time to arrive.
Give good hearing to those, that give the first information in business; and rather direct them in the beginning, than interrupt them in the continuance of their speeches; for he that is put out of his own order, will go forward and backward, and be more tedious, while he waits upon his memory, than he could have been, if he had gone on in his own course. But sometimes it is seen, that the moderator is more troublesome, than the actor.
Listen carefully to those who first present information about a matter. Guide them at the start rather than interrupting them as they speak. Anyone whose train of thought is disrupted will go back and forth, struggling to remember what comes next. This will make them more tedious than if they had been allowed to proceed in their own way. But sometimes the person directing the discussion causes more trouble than the speaker.
Iterations are commonly loss of time. But there is no such gain of time, as to iterate often the state of the question; for it chaseth away many a frivolous speech, as it is coming forth. Long and curious speeches, are as fit for dispatch, as a robe or mantle, with a long train, is for race. Prefaces and passages, and excusations, and other speeches of reference to the person, are great wastes of time; and though they seem to proceed of modesty, they are bravery. Yet beware of being too material, when there is any impediment or obstruction in men's wills; for pre-occupation of mind ever requireth preface of speech; like a fomentation to make the unguent enter.
Repetition is usually a waste of time. But nothing saves more time than often restating the question at hand. It stops many pointless remarks before they are spoken. Long, elaborate speeches are as suited to getting things done quickly as a trailing robe is to running a race. Introductions, transitions, apologies, and other remarks about the speaker waste a great deal of time. Though they seem to come from modesty, they are a form of showing off. Yet beware of getting straight to the point when people are unwilling or resistant. A mind already set against something always needs an introduction to prepare it. This is like applying a warm compress to help an ointment penetrate.
Above all things, order, and distribution, and singling out of parts, is the life of dispatch; so as the distribution be not too subtle: for he that doth not divide, will never enter well into business; and he that divideth too much, will never come out of it clearly. To choose time, is to save time; and an unseasonable motion, is but beating the air. There be three parts of business; the preparation, the debate or examination, and the perfection. Whereof, if you look for dispatch, let the middle only be the work of many, and the first and last the work of few. The proceeding upon somewhat conceived in writing, doth for the most part facilitate dispatch: for though it should be wholly rejected, yet that negative is more pregnant of direction, than an indefinite; as ashes are more generative than dust.
Above all, order, organization, and separating tasks are the key to getting things done, provided the divisions are not too fine. Anyone who fails to divide the work will never get properly started. Anyone who divides it too much will never finish it cleanly. Choosing the right time saves time. An ill-timed effort is only beating the air. Business has three stages: preparation, discussion or examination, and completion. If you want to get things done quickly, let only the middle stage involve many people. Leave the first and last to a few. Starting with a proposal in writing usually helps speed things along. Even if it is rejected entirely, that rejection gives more useful direction than leaving things undefined. Ashes, likewise, are more fertile than dust.