There is a lag time element to effort.
Even though common sense tells us to put in more and more effort in order to speed things up and make things happen, it doesn’t always work that way. Maybe for mindless and mechanical work, focused effort in a compressed time period means results and productivity.
But for other things like creativity, building relationships and connections, forming strategies and executing them, being mindful and present, effort takes time to work itself out.
Our instincts urge us to do something—anything—if we want something done, but effort also means having the patience to take a step back, allowing things to simply play out.
There’s a reason why we’re told to invest our time and effort, not one without the other.
Without time, effort is just force and aggressiveness. Without effort, time is just being passive and reactive.