The Slow Fix: Solve Problems, Work Smarter and Live Better in a World Addicted to Speed

by Carl Honoré

In the tradition of his internationally bestselling  In Praise of Slow , and drawing on examples from the most progressive and successful leaders in business, politics, science and society, Carl Honoré brilliantly illuminates why the best way to face our problems might just be to take our time.
 
If the high-flying fighter pilots of the RAF can own up to their mistakes, why can't the rest of us? Toyota was fantastically good at exposing its failings and correcting them, until it stopped, setting the company up for one of the most spectacular falls from grace in the history of the auto industry. BP couldn't bring itself to apologize for its catastrophic oil spill until the entire Gulf Coast of the United States was bearing the brunt of its technological shortcomings. 

Addicted as we might be to the quick fix--pills, crash diets or just diverting attention from things about to go wrong--the quick fix never really works. Trying to solve problems in a hurry, sticking on a plaster when surgery is needed, might deliver temporary relief, but only at the price of storing up worse trouble for later. For those looking for a fix that sticks , The Slow Fix  will help us produce solutions in life and work that endure.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Personal Development, Psychology, Productivity, Sociology

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Carl Honoré was born in Scotland, but grew up in Edmonton, Canada. After studying history and Italian at Edinburgh University, he worked with street children in Brazil. This later inspired him to take up journalism and, since 1991, he has written from all over Europe and South America, spending three years in Buenos Aires along the way. His work has appeared in publications on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Economist, Observer, American Way, National Post, Globe and Mail, Houston Chronicle, and Miami Herald. His first book, In Praise of Slowness, was an international bestseller. He is also the author of Under Pressure: Rescuing Our Children from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting.

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time reading this, not just to make a pun, but also because there are many, many lessons and/or good points in this book I wanted to sit with for a bit before moving on. Which was beneficial, because the author continually refers back to earlier chapters as examples of how the many wise suggestions work together. All of these changes are meant to effect whole neighborhoods, communities, cities, states, countries and the world. Nowhere in this book does he say that any of this is easy. It all requires a great deal of passion, patience, fortitude and belief in what you are doing to make the kind of societal changes that are discussed in this book. A slow fix requires time, energy and commitment and well as a whole lot of planning and very careful thought. It isn't for the faint of heart, but for those who truly believe in changing things for the better, this book will help fire you up and get you pointed in the right direction. Every journey starts with a single step--perhaps this book can be just that.

[Andrea James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title and the ideas proposed are about slowing down but funnily enough this book is a really quick read. The author writes in a very light and flowing way and one feels pleasantly hurtled along a rapid stream of suggestions and examples.

It's possible, and likely, that I liked this book because I agree with its ideas. I've been advocating deeper thinking in most of the training courses I've been delivering. Most of the managers/executives I train seem to be under incredible pressure to come up with solutions almost immediately as well as keep up with their emails and respond to requests. This barrage of shallow interactions has created an acceptance of shallow thinking - "let's just do X because it's better than nothing" - which leave them trapped in a never ending cycle of solving almost the same problems over again.

I am of course guilty of this too. The combination of being exhausted from meetings, problems and a burgeoning To-Do list, I frequently find my mind noisy with thoughts and unable to quietly ruminate on a problem without any distractions for a long period of time. I'm less able to focus and have sufficient patience and attention to work through the complexity of the situation/problem.

This book makes the argument for us to slow down in a convincing way. It reminds us that when a quick fix eases the symptoms of a problem, we are then less driven to investigate deeper to learn the underlying causes, the complex interactions and to have the patience to try solutions that may have longer term effects.

An example excerpt:
"Complex problems can only be solved by persuading people to make sacrifices, or do something they would not naturally wish to do. Appealing to reason can only take us so far down that road. To engineer deeper change in the culture of a classroom, company or community, to ear the buy-in that is crucial for most Slow Fixes, you need to tap what Vincent Van Gogh called “the little emotions (that) are the great captains of our lives”."

I recommend this book if you are rushing around patching your projects/business/life with quick fixes and you're tired and frustrated with the lack of real progress.

[books.bintulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

May 2023: The Slow Fix

My, my.. I was really SLOW in reading this to the extend that I skipped few chapters and jumped straight to the conclusion.

This book is about fixing something in a 'slow' manner. Slow here does not means siput slow, it means giving appropriate time and in line with the recipe, (swipe left).

I chose this book because first the author shared how he went to his back pain treatment, expecting a quick fix. But of course it did not work. There are things that need band-aid solution, also other things that need long term solution or both. Seems resonate with my life atm.

Just a reminder to everyone especially myself to gauge a problem wisely, whether we need a quick fix or slow fix. Think through.

[Zaher Alhaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illuminatingly lovely read. Carl tries to put the virtue of "long-term thinking" back on pedestal, amid the modern tempo of life that demands us to live mindlessly, jumping from task to task, from goal to goal, and trying frantically to beat the endless deadlines. The so-called "Getting Things Done" Culture is stealing our lives, disguised in attractive titles such as "productivity"..."success"..."goal-driven", and the like.
The Author laments the culture of quick fixes and shortcuts, advocating instead more balanced mindful mode for solving complicated intricate problems, which he called "the slow fix".
He creatively defined, illustrated, and weaved the ingredients of this long-term, holistic, realistic, patient, life-long thinking, which we must employ to tackle today's wicked problems, whether we are grappling with national health issue or trying to mend our personal relationships.

[Al Waie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that allows you to "live more than one life in more than one place." Just like what Anne Tyler used to say about her fascination towards reading book. Indeed, I traveled the world through this book looking for the ingredients to improve my problem-solving mojo. Great practical and real life examples of those who have applied the principal of the Slow Fix, and made the world a better place. A must read for most of us, who like to see our problem fixed, but are too damn impatient. We rather opt for quick fix, which usually turn out to not actually solve the problem but only the symptoms.

[Violet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of case studies taken from big companies, not a lot (if any) practical advice, very repetitive. Maybe worth a read if you are the CEO of a multi million business, but don't expect helpful tips otherwise.

[Kylie Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had wonderful concepts and examples to illustrate the author's plea for us to, as a society, slow down and focus up in order to lead happier, more productive, and fulfilling lives.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite a good read but only received three stars because it all felt familiar. It's been a great year for books about brains, society, and thinking. The problem is that all these titles begin to use the same stories and examples (The Power of Habit, The Power of Why , and How Children Succeed I'm pretty sure had some of the same stories). It's not because the authors are copying each other, but rather that there are only so many interesting anecdotes that have made it into publications accessible to authors writing outside of hardcore academic studies into neurology. Or perhaps they just sound the same.

That being said, Carl Honoré's latest book is a welcome reminder of the need to slow down and dig deeper into problems that we often rush to solve. Carefully addressing issues normally results in better and longer-lasting outcomes, and guards against having to come up against the same problem in the future. There are many examples in this book of people and institutions who took this approach, and although they sometimes sound quite idealistic (see Norwegian prisons), they may also change your mind on important issues (again, prisons).

I'm on Twitter: @Dr_A_Taubman

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I 'stumbled' on this book in the library and I cannot thank my luck enough for this! This is a brilliant book dealing with 'Slowness' and how we could achieve it in this fast paced world.

The good things about this book:
1. It is really well written with the chapters being really 'racy' (And that is ironical considering that this book is all about slowness :-) )
2. The stories are out of the world and the research Carl Honore has done is praiseworthy
3. The honesty with which the 'steps' or 'processes' are laid out. Whenever I felt the author was taking things a bit too far with some of his claims, he promptly gave the flip side to his claim. This aspect of pointing out the negatives is something that I have not seen with many of the authors when they want to spread 'their' message

Conclusion: I am buying this book and adding it to my library collection for referring as & when required!

[Taylor Ellwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book the author explores the value of the slow fix, which involves learning how to solve problems from a process perspective instead of just trying to use a quick fix. The author explores a variety of elements that are integral to the slow fix process and uses case studies to demonstrate how those elements work together to bring about useful solutions to problems. I got a lot of value from this book by applying its principles to my business and my clients. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to improve how problems are solved in general and in their organization, because what you will learn is how to examine your problem solving processes and introduce the right elements of the slow fix to help you improve on what you are already doing.

[Ryan Stuver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be mostly similar to other professional development/self-help books I've read. There was a ton of anecdotal evidence and even more common sense assumptions. I did find a few things to take away and apply to my everyday work life. My rule with these books is that almost always they are 80% fluff and 20% substance.

With that said, it was worth the time to read. In today's world, everything has to happen immediately. We have all of our emails in our pocket and a reply 3 hours later is too late. This book puts things in perspective and shows why it's so important to slow down. I've since passed this book on to my boss.

[Donna Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow down. Stop and smell the life that is being sucked out of us by technology, it was made to help us, not destroy us.

[Sambasivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

New concept. Impressively researched. Powerfully articulated. Life changing book.

[Craig Carignan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the stories. It was all about why the quick fix isn't always the right fix.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

We tend to think of transformative moments as sudden flashes of insight—but Carl Honoré’s The Slow Fix: Solve Problems, Work Smarter, and Live Better in a World Addicted to Speed, explains why that isn’t always the case. He points out that “[i]n every walk of life, from medicine and relationships to business and politics, we are hooked on the quick fix.” He goes on to say, “The hard, unpalatable truth is that the quick fix never truly fixes anything at all. And sometimes it just makes things worse.”

Without resorting to a single bullet point in 262 pages, he shatters leadership and talk-show clichés, with encouragement like “sweat the small stuff.”

Honoré’s writing is often eloquent, and his prose reflects his thesis as he takes time to explore and analyze each idea. Without resorting to a single bullet point in 262 pages, he shatters leadership and talk-show clichés, with encouragement like “sweat the small stuff.” Honoré’s examples and anecdotes—from the wisdom behind Van Halen’s famous “no brown M&M’s” clause to the “congenial” Norwegian prison system designed to curb recidivism—are worth contemplating. Unlike the authors of so many quick-fix, meme-studded self-help books, Honoré practices what he preaches, taking time to build his theories and exploring them through both narrow and wide lenses.

Although he accepts that there are times—in surgery or on the battlefield, for example—when we can’t stop to ponder, Honoré explains that his focus in The Slow Fix is on the kind of problem “where the parameters are unclear and shifting, where human behavior comes into play, where there may not even be a right answer.” He maps out the process: confess, think hard, think holistic, think long, think small, prepare, collaborate, crowdsource, catalyze, devolve, feel, play, evolve. Each element builds on the one that precedes it, not as a checklist or an if/then logarithm, but as a recipe with room for improvisation. By approaching the material this way, he achieves the goal he states in his Introduction: “to draw some universal lessons about how to find the best solution when anything goes wrong.”

A Slow Fix begins by acknowledging and examining our mistakes—something that tends to be discouraged in our culture, where the word “problem” is masked in euphemisms like “issue” and “challenge.” Honoré then spends four entire chapters on methods of thinking—pondering, mulling, incubating, sauntering, and considering the long view—arguing against snap judgment.

Once we’ve genuinely thought things through, options are presented and rejected, contingencies are considered before they can arise. Honoré quotes engineer Peter Hodgman: “No matter how good you are, you’re always better with someone else. No one can do it all on their own,” and shows how this has been put into practice on collegial and global scales, from Freud’s Wednesday night salons to the giant think tank of the Internet, demonstrating how “[w]e are more creative when solving other people’s problems.”

First, we need to strike a balance between the group and the individual, because “even the smartest team and wisest crowd can only take you so far.” Then we need to rely on, or have an underlying and connective vision of, “a hub for the network, a lightning rod for the crowd”—a Steve Jobs or an Ernest Shackleton, to bring direction and passion to a problem. This person must be able to transfer his or her power and give a sense of ownership to the people for whom it has the most meaning—those with the problem being solved—taking the process out of the office or laboratory and into the field. This empowerment balances logistics and facts with emotional connection. Many of the most successful Slow Fixers temper their brains with their hearts by tapping into humility and empathy. This in turn opens space for fun, and bringing games into the Slow Fix allows for inspiration and competition, helping us overcome inertia and bad habits. An element of humor lets us accept that there are “perpetual problems” that, because of their size or complexity, can never be completely solved, although they can be outgrown or shifted. Adaptation and uncertainty are key because we should “never rush a Slow Fix.”

Honoré’s The Slow Fix is a roadmap for genuine transformation, for rewiring the way we overcome both individual and universal obstacles. “The good news is the world is full of Slow Fixes. You just have to take the time to find and learn from them.”

[Pablo María Fernández · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd previously enjoyed two other of his books: his classic “In praise of slowness” and “Under pressure” and found both of them interesting because they help me see things with a different perspective. But usually there is a risk when an author discovers “his thing”. Most of the time they replicate almost the same book again and again. Maybe that why I didn’t find this book so compelling: I already knew his bag of tricks.

He brings Kannemanns System 1 (intuition and instinct) and System 2 (rational thinking) concept and in every chapter deep dives in different topics and how you can get better results thinking before acting. On his way he often quotes Steve Jobs, Malcolm Gladwell, Matt Ridley, a white paper MIT and that type of second hand or casual source. He also uses tons of clichéd innovation examples seen in most books like the Velcro and penicillin stories. I didn’t find any new idea, any new approach that justify this book. These are the magical ingredients he recommends for the slow fix: admitting mistakes, pausing to think, joining the dots, sweating the small stuff and taking the long view.

I still found a couple of quotes that I liked but this was probably the last book of him I'm going to read.

Some of my favorite quotes:
“How poor are they who have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?” William Shakespeare
“How perniciously addictive the quick fix can be.”
“Inside our 21st-century heads, we are still roaming the savannah. System 1 holds away because it takes a lot less time and effort.”
“The bottom line is that the primitive brain is wired for the quick fix; it always has been.”
“The human brain is chronically unreliable.”
“Business professionals now spend half their working hours simply managing their email and social media inboxes”
“As social animals, we put a high premium on status.”
“Don’t just do something, stand there.” (White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland)
“To do nothing at all is the most difficult thing in the world. The most difficult and the most intellectual.” (Oscar Wilde)
“It’s all about the long term.” (Jeff Bezos)
“The action that follows deliberation show be quick, but deliberation should be slow." (Aristotle)

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In every walk of life, from medicine and relationships to business and politics, we are addicted to the quick fix. It has become the default setting across the board in our fast-forward, on-demand, just-add-water culture. Markets panic if wobbly businesses or wavering governments fail to serve up an instant action plan. Web pages are riddled with ads promising fast solutions to every problem. Doctors are under pressure to heal patients in a hurry, diverting their patients to the latest magic pill. The diet industry has turned speed into an art form. And spending money has become a quick fix in itself.

"Every quick fix offers the same seductive promise of maximum return for minimum effort. The trouble is, international bestselling author Carl Honore says, that equation is a lie. The truth is this approach is rarely ever quick, never truly fixes anything, and often makes things worse.

"The Slow Fix is a practical and entertaining guide to solving real problems efficiently and for the long term. Honore introduces us to the mayor who revolutionized public transport in Bogota, hangs out with the warden and inmates at a state-of-the-art prison in Norway, and explores how Icelanders are reinventing democracy. Finding the multiple benefits in a more thoughtful, ground-up approach to problem solving, Honore delivers a paradigm-shifting recipe for our own lives, businesses, and communities."
~~back cover

Very interesting book. The author delves into why we're hardwired to select the quick fix, and why it doesn't always work. He give such great, entertaining examples of every part of the slow fix process that the book almost seems like a work of fiction. Slow fixes aren't easy but the author does lead us along the twisting path, and gives us hope for straightening out some of the messes that clutter our world today.

[Dr. Tathagat Varma · Rating 3 out of 5]

We live in a fast-paced world. Days (and nights) go by in back-to-back meetings. New features must be out before the weekend, new version is out by month-end and totally new products get launched max by the end of this quarter. Human speed, it seems, is only being challenged - and perhaps outcompeting - the clock speed of the latest core processors! It is like a new virtual digital jungle - there is a lion and there is a gazelle somewhere in this digital jungle, and whatever you are, you better be running first thing in the morning! But is this fast pace quick-fix the best way?

I once had a team member who was "#slow" by his own admission. When others would complete the tasks in days and weeks, he would take months. But the quality of work would be impeccable, and far superior to others. Premature judging based purely on how much one is sweating is likely to mislead big time! The best things are still made with oodles of long-care thinking and tireless patience. As we used to say in my favorite Dutch company - it still takes ten year to build a ten-year experience!

https://lnkd.in/grg2AsE

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concepts with a little too much detail

This book has fantastic concepts to improve the way we think and act, by taking it slow, balanced by when to move fast.

However, the downside is a lot of detail on the examples and stories that is not necessary and actually takes you away from truly considering the concepts. I get it is somewhat ironic for me to say this given the book is about getting there slowly, however I feel crisper examples would allow more space and time in the book to explore the concepts.

For the concepts, well worth the read, you probably can just decide to skim the details as you go.

[Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is different from what I thought it would be. It makes great emphasis on what is happening in public and private sectors. It was very useful, but I was hoping to find more of a personal approach on how the reader can slow down.
I particularly liked the last portion of the book. It definitely felt more personal.

Suggestion to author: Some of us are "slow" by nature. The pace of everyday life doesn't seem to push us hard enough to become faster. Everything seems to take us longer. No matter how hard we try...there's someone faster...how about writing about us?

[Ely Bakouche · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me 1 year to get to 60% of the book, which says a lot about its problem: it is so slow to read. I loved it at first but the amount of story-telling makes it so difficult to keep track of the actual point made in each chapter. I loved that part at first, then I got really bored.

The points are really important and really useful, but their impact is watered down because of so much... fluff.

I'm gonna go find a summary of each point and work with that instead. :)

[Ajay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great message and well-written too. A different approach to problem-solving from what is normally preached, Carl makes an argument that is rooted in observation, history, business, and psychology.

While a good book, The Slow Fix isn't so much great. I find you could read the first and last chapters and walk away with just as much knowledge as if you had read the entire thing cover-to-cover.

[Rebecca Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

More fabulous initiatives, ideas and reminders why living Slow is the key to the future. The author allows for solutions to be realistic and helpful to apply to the chaos of every day life. I continue to be impressed by Carl Honore, his content and writing style. Highly recommend.

[Elijah Franks · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of this book was good. For some reason the last half took me much longer to get through than the first half. It felt long winded and repetitive as it went on. Some good points were made but good god I’m glad it ended.

[Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Slow Fix provides an integrated and thoughtful approach for centring the how and why of doing in your life. Anticipating and understanding the changes required,alongside providing a core focus for each task.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting discussion of slow solutions from around the world.

[Ahmed Turabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great food of thought

Because it added value to me. It is a kind of book I wish to have an audio version for it so I can listen to it.

[Beckie Kellett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reminder in our fast world that we need to take it slow.

[Maddelline · Rating 4 out of 5]

They's a big difference between quick fixes and fixes done under pressure, it's a habit of slow fixing every problem.

[Alberto Gallego · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic multi-story book that tries to explain the same thing with 3-5 stories. This book could be shorter, but in the end the content is interesting.