Go Fast Don't Suck

Is It "Go Fast So You Don't Suck," or "Go Fast and Don't Suck"?

I tend to lean toward the latter.

If you go fast and miss your target, you fail. If you go fast and let quality suffer, you fail. If you go fast and commit fouls, you fail. If you go fast and become a liability to your team, you fail. And so on...

Why Going Fast Matters

I haven’t mentioned why you’d want to go fast until now. To me, there’s no real improvement without time pressure. Being able to deliver the same quality in less time is the goal to push yourself every single time. Ultimately, it’s about challenging yourself to become better. Speed isn’t just about rushing—it’s about growth, efficiency, and proving to yourself you can handle more with less.

Now that we’ve established the importance of speed, let’s dive into the principles that ensure you maintain quality while moving quickly.

Key Principles for Speed Without Sacrificing Quality

Mindset for Speed

Efficiency as the Core
Efficiency is the keyword here. You want to plan ahead, to see every step you’re going to take and every action you’re going to execute. You need to be aware of the pressure you’ll face and the mistakes you might make. Close your eyes and run through every action in your head until you hit your goal.

Understand Your Limits
You’ve got to know your acceptable delivery. If you’re too ambitious, you might not have enough time. If your criteria are too broad, you won’t know if you’ll get a desirable result. Understand your skill level and the outcome you can be happy with in the time you’ve got.

Control Stress Levels
Control your stress. If your adrenaline is spiking, cool off before taking action. A rush gives you tunnel vision, making you error-prone and likely to miss important steps. Keep a clear head, always.

Execution Strategies

Stay Focused on the Target
At every step, keep a laser focus on your target. Have a clear vision. If you lose sight of it for any reason, quickly get back on track so you’re never disoriented. Speed without direction is just chaos.

Don’t Outpace Your Ability
Go fast, but not faster than your ability to execute each step. Don’t cut corners or rush through a task without caring about the result. Do what it takes to deliver quality before moving on to the next thing.

Minimal Confirmation for Quality
Quality cannot be guaranteed without some confirmation, but too much confirmation slows everything down. Strive for minimal confirmation—just enough to ensure you’re on track. For example, when changing lanes while driving, an experienced driver doesn’t stare into the blind spot trying to figure out every detail about the car there. There’s only one question: Is there a car, or is there no car? Focus on the essential check and keep moving.

With these principles in mind, let’s explore actionable tips to execute efficiently under time pressure.

Practical Tips for Efficient Execution

Minimize Downtime

Reduce the amount of time you’re not performing a task. If you’re not delivering, you’re wasting time. Stay in motion, stay productive. Every second counts when you’re pushing for speed.

Work in Parallel When Possible

Don’t just do one thing if you can do more. It’s a double-edged sword, but if you want an edge, look for tasks you can perform in parallel. For instance, imagine you’re a developer on a tight deadline. While waiting for a build to complete, you could draft documentation or reply to a quick client email. Last week, this small habit saved me 30 minutes during a project crunch. Multitasking isn’t always ideal, but in the right moments, it’s a game-changer.

Plan for Risks

Always be alert to mistakes. A big part of planning is identifying potential risks and coming up with contingency plans. If things go south during a time crunch, chances are you won’t have a clear mind to think of anything good on the spot. Plan for the worst, but don’t let it drive your decisions. Balance acceptable risk with reward.

A Quick Checklist for Planning Ahead

To visualize the planning process, here’s a simple checklist to follow before diving into action:

• Define your end goal clearly.
• Break it into smaller, actionable steps.
• Identify potential obstacles or risks for each step.
• Prepare a backup plan for critical risks.
• Estimate the time needed for each task.
• Mentally rehearse the execution from start to finish.

This kind of structure keeps you grounded and ready to move fast with confidence.

Having covered these practical strategies, let’s wrap up with some final reflections on balancing speed and quality.

Final Thoughts

Going fast isn’t about reckless speed—it’s about efficiency, focus, and constant improvement. Challenge yourself to deliver the same quality in less time, every time. That’s the real goal. Push your limits, but never at the cost of quality. That’s how you get better, and that’s how you win.