If go is not a race, what compels me to play that way (online)? After throwing away one won game, I started the next with the resolve to take my time - which I did, for the first half of the game and had developed a comfortable lead when suddenly the bells began ringing for the final lap and off I went tossing care to the wind blundering away stone after stone in a click-frenzy until it was time to resign.

I know this has been talked about a thousand times before, but I'd nonetheless appreciate a few suggestions on how to correct my state of mind.

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Patience, grasshopper.

Add some breaks to that go-cart. You're gonna need 'em.

Both of your games today were 25 minute games. By move 220 - around when they ended - you had barely used 10 minutes in each. Did you expect the match to last over 500 moves? Did you forget you have overtime?

Sorry to correct you so blatantly, but you asked for a state of mind correction.

You did not take your time on the second game. You said you took time in the first half, but by the end of the first half - move 110 - you had used a mere 5:29 in a 25 minute clock.

To compare, here are my clock times by move 110 in my last 3 25-minute KGS ranked matches: 12:25, 8:08, and 14:11. My worst loss of those was the one where I spent the least time in the opening. The other two I actually won by resign and 14.5 respectively. I do not think this is a coincidence.

While I don't usually feel like I'm rushing, if I ever do, I literally take deep breaths. I close my eyes. I look away from the screen, or even stand up and take a quick walk. Yes, I will go AFK to think about my move in a tough stop. You may want to do the same. If you don't want to do that, at least take a few breaths at the start of the match. Try to clear your mind and slow down before the game begins.

Try to really take your time in your next match. Make that a goal: stop after each opening move and, instead of just playing the next move, confirm that it is the best move. If you were about to approach a corner, look at an enclosure instead. If you were going to play an extension on one side consider playing it on the other. Spend a full minute on an important opening move.

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Also, in both situations you ignored what your opponent did. It is good that you want to find the biggest move in the endgame, but read what your opponent is threatening to do. Never assume they don't have a plan. You had 14 minutes of time left! You could have read every possible variation in that part of the board. Heck, you could have sat there and read out the rest of the game in that time - and why not do that? You don't get to take your clock with you to the next game, so don't be afraid to spend it, especially in the end-game of a won game.

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"You have to walk before you can run. Black 1 was a walking move.
I blushed inwardly to recall the ignorant thoughts that had gone through
my mind before, when I had not realized the true worth of Black 1."
-Kageyama Toshiro on proper moves