I have 2 suggestions for you, if you want your sink to drain faster. First, if you haven’t taken the pipes apart under your sink, I would suggest you start there. I have found that those pipes can get pretty clogged with “goop” and a good cleaning improves flow quite a bit. Second, take the stopper completely out and turn it 180 degrees. If your sink is similar to ours, the plunger will have a longer tang with a hole in it where the control rod goes. By turning it so the tang/hole is to the front of the sink instead of to the rear, the tip of the rod travels farther, thus raising the plunger higher. I have found the easiest way to reassemble the drain mechanism is to, insert the control rod into its place fully with rod pulled down like you where raising the plunger, insert the plunger (with the tang/hole on front side) until it is blocked by the rod, slightly withdraw the rod until edge of tang has passed, push rod back in making contact with plunger, slide plunger slowly up/down while pushing in on rod and it should drop into the hole. Confirm rod is correctly in hole by moving end of rod up/down and observing plunger going up/down. I usually grab plunger in the sink and gently push/pull to insure correct location. Tighten retaining cap and you should be go to go. With the rod levered from the back end, this modification causes the front end to travel a slightly longer distance, raising the plunger. Lou