Climb as if your pants are on fire and you'll get flustered and make costly mistakes. Over the long haul, the faster climber is the one who maintains a steady, consistent rhythm. You won't make time quivering in those bottom aider steps. At a minimum, always get into your second steps. Use cams rather than nuts, and nuts rather than pins.
Cams are usually faster to place and clean more quickly than nuts, while nuts are faster than pins.
As a rule, any aid move takes more time than a free move. Use cam hooks. Lead in blocks. Break the route so each of you leads a number of consecutive pitches. Block leading cuts down on the number of times you transition at the belays.