During a discussion with Kara Swisher on the Recode Decode podcast, Ezra Klein said:

“[Time] creates space where judgement can creep in.”

— Ezra Klein on the Recode Decode podcast

Ezra was speaking about the pace of the journalistic process. While he enjoys the immediacy of blogging, he has learned to value the more measured process of a larger organization, which allows room for, as he says, judgement to creep in.

This echoes a sense I have when it comes to making most healthy decisions. Even a tiny bit of time can be enough to allow my slower, smarter, self to outsmart my fast, stupid, and selfish lizard brain.

Imagine a refrigerator with a five-second delay when opening the door. I’d wait if I really wanted or needed something, but if I was just mindlessly grazing for a snack I’m not even hungry for, it might be enough to stop me.

Time can also create space for poor judgement. When something on our computers takes a few seconds too long, these extra moments can be just enough for us to trigger our “let’s check the Internet for something new” impulse.