sproutsI’m not fast. I’m not quick at doing most things.

However, I am deliberate and accurate.

One example of this is cooking. Even if I have one of those “20 minute meal” type recipes, it’s going to take me over an hour. I will wash, peel, slice, chop, and do every single thing with care and precision.

I tend to make a lot of soups, which include tons of chopped veggies, and it takes me forever. I peel the skin off carrots and potatoes perfectly. I don’t chop quickly because I’m not confident about my knife skills. I don’t like to cook with meat, but when I do prepare chicken, I cut out almost every single tiny imperfection (raw meat is so gross; I can barely handle it).

The other day, I was preparing brussels sprouts. I cut off the ends, removed the outer leaves, then cut them in half. But after removing the outer leaves, I would examine each sprout carefully and often found gross stuff on the leaves, so I would remove even more leaves. (You would’t believe the nasty stuff inside brussels sprouts! Like, living things! Sometimes I ended up throwing out the whole sprout.) The picture above shows how many sprouts I kept (in the strainer) and how much I threw out. Almost the same amount! Ugh. (Most of the stuff in the pile on the right are individual leaves, not full sprouts.)

HSP Relevance?

HSPs pay attention to details. We like to do things correctly and accurately, because….we care. But sometimes all this attention to detail makes me slow.

Another example.

It takes me a long time to leave the house. When my husband and I are preparing to go out for the day (for example, enjoying a Saturday), it takes me a few extra minutes to think through everything I may need. For example, my clothing: if we will be walking around for hours, I need comfy shoes, which means the shoes must work with my outfit, and I need to account for the weather/temperature, bring a hat, and maybe sandals in case I get hot… and so on. Sometimes I bring even more extra clothing in case I’m not sure if I’ll be hot or cold.

I need to think everything through and be prepared.

Paying close attention to detail and being accurate and thorough are great qualities, but there is a downside–speed!

In the workplace, I think the quality of my work is what made me successful. People could count on me to have things done well and on time. I liked that.

And since I pride myself in details and “doing things right the first time”, I am extremely hard on myself when I do make a mistake.

I do have to tell myself that–sometimes–it’s more important to get things done than have them be perfect. Sometimes you just need to move forward and get on to the next thing! I constantly remind myself of this!

I’m not slow at everything, mind you–I walk really fast on the sidewalk. But that’s just me. 🙂