How does the ball know?

That's the advice you'll hear in golf, in tennis and in baseball. That your follow through changes everything.

But how can it? After all, the ball is long gone by the time you're done with your swing.

Here's the thing: In order to not follow through, you need to start slowing down before you're done hitting the ball.

The follow through isn't the goal, it's the symptom that you did something right.

And of course, the same thing is true of that conference you run, or the customer service you provide, or the way you engage with a class or a job... if you begin slowing down before the last moment, the last moment is going to suffer.

This article originally appeared on sethgodin.typepad.com