We care about speed in lots of contexts. Sometimes we think of it as velocity, i.e. speed together with direction. Other times, the term productivity is more appropriate, when we care about how much we can get done (or value delivered) over time. Here I think of it as an activity of progress, generally.
Often, when people pay attention to this with a critical eye, they are interested in understanding their current state, but especially like to know how they can improve it. And of course in this context, better usually means more, faster: Greater speed, higher velocity, more productive, et cetera.
Very basic principles at play here can help us construct a simple mental model that we can use to reason about that activity of progress. Let’s take a look.
Principles
Imagine sitting in the driver’s seat of a car. There is a gas pedal and there are brakes. You use one to go faster and the other to slow down. They are different.
When you are already moving, then taking the foot off the brakes will help you go faster. On the other hand, if you are standing still, playing with the brakes will not help you gain much speed. You are going to have to hit the gas.
Borrowing labels from physics, we can identify two basic principles, when thinking about speed, velocity, productivity, and the like:
- Drag. There are things that slow you down.
- Thrust. There are things that speed you up.
I think this applies pretty universally. In any context, where we care about a notion of progress, we can orient ourselves by wondering about the gas pedals and the brakes.
The factors influencing our speed in a given context will fall into one or both of those categories. If it is a factor, then it either works to increase our speed or to decrease our speed. Similarly, if something does not affect our speed, then it does not fall into either category and is not actually a factor.
Example
Imagine you are traveling on foot, walking or perhaps running. There are specific factors that help you go faster, including the following.
- Engaging your muscles – the sheer act of contracting your leg muscles and pushing yourself forward creates momentum.
- Efficiency of form – streamlined movement, efficient mechanics help you convert effort into movement well.
- Tailwind – a strong wind literally pushing you forward adds to your momentum.
- Downhill slope – moving downhill is easier and usually faster.
- Smooth trail or road – the journey is easier, when there are not many tripping hazards.
Likewise there are several factors that will slow you down, such as:
- Carrying heavier weight – the more weight you carry, the more effort you have to expend to move it.
- High viscosity – if you have to traverse water or mud or break trail in snow, movement is more difficult.
- Headwind – walking into a strong wind feels a lot harder.
- Uphill slope – moving uphill tends to be slower, because you are struggling more against gravity.
- Rugged trails or technical terrain – more difficult terrain requires more caution.
Some of the factors in this context can be quite visceral – imagine your muscles straining and you are breathing hard as you are working to push yourself uphill, as fast as you can.
The same general dynamics – drag and thrust – apply everywhere, where things move.
State
The rate of movement then is a direct consequence of the interplay of those factors that speed us up and those that slow us down. Those are rarely static. As such, this is a dynamic situation, always in a state of change.
Knowing what factors can affect our performance, we can naturally think about, how and to what extent they actually do. This can help us build a clearer mental picture of where we are at.
Should we step harder on the gas or ease off the brakes?
Matrix
I like a good 2×2 and this topic lends itself beautifully to introduce one to illustrate the interplay of drag versus thrust and what that does to our performance, whether it be speed, velocity or productivity.
We display Drag (low and high) along the horizontal axis and Thrust (low and high) along the vertical axis. This yields four quadrants:
- Low Drag / Low Thrust – Dormant. Few brakes are on, but no one is stepping much on the gas either. Progress is minimal.
- High Drag / Low Thrust – Blocked. Slowdowns dominate and little extra energy is generated. There is little to no progress.
- Low Drag / High Thrust – Flow. The sweet spot. Barriers are low, momentum is high.
- High Drag / High Thrust – Overextended. Lots of effort, but too much resistance. Some progress may well happen, but at the cost of wasted energy and risk of burnout.
Here is what that looks like.
This is one graph, where up-and-to-the-right should not be the goal. The point is usually to remove unnecessary drag and increase thrust.
Very simple principles led us to a useful model that we can use in any domain where we care about this type of progress. It always makes sense to wonder what factors speed us up, which ones slow us down – and how much they individually affect us.
It is rarely just about pushing harder. Rather it is removing drag, where appropriate, then adding the right kinds of thrust.
Aim for flow.