--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Revisiting the freeway analogy, consider…" description: "\"“Revisiting the freeway analogy, consider what makes the roadway flow. Is it the cars, or the space between the cars? If there were no cars, there woul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/953/jim-benson-39794_open-space_revisiting-the-freeway-analogy-consider_495294.jpg" --- # Revisiting the freeway analogy, consider what makes the… ![“Revisiting the freeway analogy, consider what makes the roadway flow. Is it the cars, or the space between the cars? If there were no cars, there would be nothing to flow. If there was no space, the cars could not move. It’s that balance between cars and open space that gives us flowing traffic…” quote by Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/953/jim-benson-39794_open-space_revisiting-the-freeway-analogy-consider_495294.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/953/jim-benson-39794_open-space_revisiting-the-freeway-analogy-consider_495294.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/953/jim-benson-39794_open-space_revisiting-the-freeway-analogy-consider_495294.jpg) > ““Revisiting the freeway analogy, consider what makes the roadway flow. Is it the cars, or the space between the cars? If there were no cars, there would be nothing to flow. If there was no space, the cars could not move. It’s that balance between cars and open space that gives us flowing traffic. That open space is called “slack.” We need slack in our workflow, we need space to adjust. Without slack, we will overload. Too many notes, critiqued an overwhelmed emperor.”” [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective workflow needs both activity and empty space; balance prevents overload and maintains flow. **In simple terms:** Work needs slack to stay smooth. Key Takeaway Create space for adjustment. Themes productivity balance workflow stress management Mood pragmatic calm Type advice motivational When to use this quote - project planning - creative work - team coordination Key Concepts systems thinking time management cognitive load Questions to Reflect On - How much slack is optimal for your tasks? - What signs show you’re overloaded? A Different Perspective Too much slack can cause inefficiency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Open space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-space/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [Drag has always been an open space where anyone within the LGBT community can express their creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-carrera/drag-has-always-been-an-open-space-where-anyone-within-the-lgbt/) [Carmen Carrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-carrera/) > [I'll make love to you in all good places, under black mountains and open spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jethro-tull/i-ll-make-love-to-you-in-all-good-places-under-black-mountains-and/) [Jethro Tull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jethro-tull/) > [“When I spoke to her, I had the feeling that her thoughts had been nourished in wide-open spaces where talk was sparse and silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/when-i-spoke-to-her-i-had-the-feeling-that-her-thoughts-had-been/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“(2002) In Rome, month upon month, I struggled with how to structure the book about my father (He already had the water, he just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/2002-in-rome-month-upon-month-i-struggled-with-how-to-structure-the/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [Change is a journey and the journey is always about change. And if there is no change, why bother with the journey? And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-owen/change-is-a-journey-and-the-journey-is-always-about-change-and-if/) [Harrison Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-owen/) > [If you create any open space within yourself, love will fill it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/if-you-create-any-open-space-within-yourself-love-will-fill-it/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“From the moment she had stepped out from her wooden walls, the path ahead of him had been clearly marked, but he had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/from-the-moment-she-had-stepped-out-from-her-wooden-walls-the-path/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) > [“Reyes. Alexander. Farrow," I said. Seconds after I spoke his name, Reyes walked into his bedroom, and I looked across the open space directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/reyes-alexander-farrow-i-said-seconds-after-i-spoke-his-name-reyes/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [“The more I read, the more I felt connected across time to other lives and deeper sympathies. I felt less isolated. I wasn’t floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-more-i-read-the-more-i-felt-connected-across-time-to-other-lives/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I think the best thing about my game that translates into the NBA is being able to create for others. Using open space and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-carter-williams/i-think-the-best-thing-about-my-game-that-translates-into-the-nba-is/) [Michael Carter-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-carter-williams/) > [There must be an open space in the paintings - an entry space for the viewer, or even for me. Just white space where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-bisky/there-must-be-an-open-space-in-the-paintings-an-entry-space-for-the/) [Norbert Bisky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-bisky/) > [“I wrote MARCH FARM because I fell in love with the farms of Bethlehem when I moved here in 2000. I became passionate about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mcmillan/i-wrote-march-farm-because-i-fell-in-love-with-the-farms-of-bethlehem/) Nancy McMillan > [My parents wanted me to grow up around horses and open spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/schuyler-fisk/my-parents-wanted-me-to-grow-up-around-horses-and-open-spaces/) [Schuyler Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/schuyler-fisk/) > [I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-will-build-a-car-for-the-great-multitude-it-will-be-large-enough/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As children, we had access to all the open space imaginable. We would set up camps in rural Utah where the Tempest Company was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/as-children-we-had-access-to-all-the-open-space-imaginable-we-would/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## More by Jim Benson > [“Professional life. Personal life. Social life. They are often treated as separate entities, but our lives and insights cannot be segregated. Work / life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/professional-life-personal-life-social-life-they-are-often-treated-as/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) > [“Personal Kanban depicts a wealth of information. It shows you: What you want. What you do. How you do it. Who you do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/personal-kanban-depicts-a-wealth-of-information-it-shows-you-what-you/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) > [“Personal Kanban is an information radiator for your work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/personal-kanban-is-an-information-radiator-for-your-work/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) > [“All too often companies respond to business needs by shopping for “proven” solutions, repeatable processes to achieve a desired outcome. They call these “best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/all-too-often-companies-respond-to-business-needs-by-shopping-for/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) > [“As you watch work flow through your value stream, you’ll see where work moves smoothly, where work is slowing down, or where work comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/as-you-watch-work-flow-through-your-value-stream-you-ll-see-where/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) > [“We shouldn’t view our work as a series of isolated events. Static. Unique. Only vaguely related. The fact is, those presumably isolated events combine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/we-shouldn-t-view-our-work-as-a-series-of-isolated-events-static/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) > [“Capacity: How much stuff will fit Throughput: How much stuff will flow They are not synonymous. All”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/capacity-how-much-stuff-will-fit-throughput-how-much-stuff-will-flow/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) > [“We’re all guilty of this, squandering our precious time merely trying to get by. We sequester joy for our evenings and weekends, scheduling time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/we-re-all-guilty-of-this-squandering-our-precious-time-merely-trying/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) > [“Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Let me do and I understand. ~Confucius The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/tell-me-and-i-forget-show-me-and-i-remember-let-me-do-and-i/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) > [“If you want to know your past, look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future, look into your present actions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/if-you-want-to-know-your-past-look-into-your-present-conditions-if-2/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) [Explore all 11 Jim Benson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) ## More Open space quotes > [Drag has always been an open space where anyone within the LGBT community can express their creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-carrera/drag-has-always-been-an-open-space-where-anyone-within-the-lgbt/) [Carmen Carrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-carrera/) > [I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-will-build-a-car-for-the-great-multitude-it-will-be-large-enough/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My parents wanted me to grow up around horses and open spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/schuyler-fisk/my-parents-wanted-me-to-grow-up-around-horses-and-open-spaces/) [Schuyler Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/schuyler-fisk/) > [“I wrote MARCH FARM because I fell in love with the farms of Bethlehem when I moved here in 2000. I became passionate about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mcmillan/i-wrote-march-farm-because-i-fell-in-love-with-the-farms-of-bethlehem/) Nancy McMillan > [There must be an open space in the paintings - an entry space for the viewer, or even for me. Just white space where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-bisky/there-must-be-an-open-space-in-the-paintings-an-entry-space-for-the/) [Norbert Bisky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-bisky/) > [I think the best thing about my game that translates into the NBA is being able to create for others. Using open space and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-carter-williams/i-think-the-best-thing-about-my-game-that-translates-into-the-nba-is/) [Michael Carter-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-carter-williams/) > [“The more I read, the more I felt connected across time to other lives and deeper sympathies. I felt less isolated. I wasn’t floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-more-i-read-the-more-i-felt-connected-across-time-to-other-lives/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Reyes. Alexander. Farrow," I said. Seconds after I spoke his name, Reyes walked into his bedroom, and I looked across the open space directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/reyes-alexander-farrow-i-said-seconds-after-i-spoke-his-name-reyes/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [“From the moment she had stepped out from her wooden walls, the path ahead of him had been clearly marked, but he had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/from-the-moment-she-had-stepped-out-from-her-wooden-walls-the-path/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) > [If you create any open space within yourself, love will fill it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/if-you-create-any-open-space-within-yourself-love-will-fill-it/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Change is a journey and the journey is always about change. And if there is no change, why bother with the journey? And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-owen/change-is-a-journey-and-the-journey-is-always-about-change-and-if/) [Harrison Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-owen/) > [“(2002) In Rome, month upon month, I struggled with how to structure the book about my father (He already had the water, he just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/2002-in-rome-month-upon-month-i-struggled-with-how-to-structure-the/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [“When I spoke to her, I had the feeling that her thoughts had been nourished in wide-open spaces where talk was sparse and silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/when-i-spoke-to-her-i-had-the-feeling-that-her-thoughts-had-been/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I'll make love to you in all good places, under black mountains and open spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jethro-tull/i-ll-make-love-to-you-in-all-good-places-under-black-mountains-and/) [Jethro Tull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jethro-tull/) > [As children, we had access to all the open space imaginable. We would set up camps in rural Utah where the Tempest Company was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/as-children-we-had-access-to-all-the-open-space-imaginable-we-would/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) [Browse all 220 Open space quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-space/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Revisiting the freeway analogy, consider what makes the roadway flow. Is it the cars, or the space between the cars? If there were no cars, there would be nothing to flow. If there was no space, the cars could not move. It’s that balance between cars and open space that gives us flowing traffic. That open space is called “slack.” We need slack in our workflow, we need space to adjust. Without slack, we will overload. 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