I always liked the old adage “measure twice, cut once”. Wikipedia gives the following example related to carpentry. “One should double-check one’s measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.” This goes way beyond carpentry and probably applies to most every business. I feel it applies more now than ever. Our world is fast paced, and we are tempted to rush through what we do, just to stay afloat. However, when we go too fast, sometimes it causes a mistake that is costly and wastes more time starting over, than originally intended. If we measure twice and cut once on a regular basis, we will ultimately be saving time.
PS – I think this applies a lot to emails. Some of us answer 100+ emails per day. Sometimes we respond too quickly and don’t proofread what we write. This can sometimes cause unintended consequences, causing us to spend more time undoing.