OverThinking: Push Thru the Drive or Take Your Time?

I’ve been meaning to start a series about how I “overthink” everything. I’m doing it now about driving to Texas from Colorado so I’ll start with this one…

It’s about a 15-16 hour drive depending on departure time, traffic, stops, route, etc. So it would be a long day, but possible. I don’t think I’d do it TO Colorado because the last two hours would be in the dark up in the mountains.

So the first thought is: efficiency versus ‘enjoy the journey.’ I’m trying to be better about enjoying the journey, but I guess you could argue that if we get there in one day, we have the whole next day to enjoy.

Practically speaking, it would save a good bit of money on the hotel room and more meals on the road. For me, it means I can work the next day and make money versus spending more.

Not that getting through in one day means there’s no enjoyment too. Technically, it could be just as enjoyable.

Maybe there’s the catch – going slower doesn’t necessarily mean more enjoyment. It’s about the attitude. For some even, getting there in one day IS the enjoyment, but that type of enjoyment isn’t what I’m talking about here.

In some cases, two options are mutually exclusive. Maybe not so in this case. Maybe there’s some middle ground or compromise here. Maybe even if the intention is to get there in one day, it doesn’t mean intense focus on the road, 2.3 minute stops for gas, food, bathroom and constant paranoia while trying to go as fast as possible.

So maybe the best intention would be to leave as early as reasonable and intend to go as far as reasonable all the while focus on a good attitude. Maybe even make decisions that add time (not intentionally, but don’t blow by something awesome to save 5 minutes).

Then, if the time comes to stop for the night, go ahead and stop. But if pushing through a bit more can get you home (safely), do that.

Mostly this might just validate that you can’t (or shouldn’t) 100% decide ahead of time if you will push through or not. But you can have intentions, set yourself up for success, but also have a good contingency plan. 🙂