Profundity . . . now!
Here’s a question to get you thinking about your work:
What’s the hardest, richest, most worldchanging
thing you could finish . . .
. . . before lunch?
~ ~ ~
The moral of this story:
- Pick an important problem to solve.
- Start making progress on it right away.
~
(Photo of Newton’s Principia from Wikipedia; photo of lunch by Moe_.)
Category: Management, The working life
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6 Comments so far
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I was sitting in my law discussion the other day and a thought came into my mind when I was pondering over a previous post you had made about The Magic Hour… What is the reason that the majority human beings as a species cannot work constantly throughout the entire day, sleep, and start over with little distraction; all without going completely neurotic? Is it part of our nature; how we’ve been wired, genetically setup? What effects do nurture play on this?; i.e. culture, etc.
I haven’t delved into any research on this yet to see if anyone else has considered this. Do other species such as ants, bees (the hive mentality) only work and sleep? Do they have any social interaction? Are there human beings in any current or past culture that have been this way?
I read an article yesterday in the WSJ about Indian kids leaving high school early so that they can attend special schools where they study CONSTANTLY in preparation for exams to be accepted into these elite colleges.
Before I get off topic, I feel that finding a way for human being to be more productive and efficient overall greatly alter the overall well being for our species as a whole. I wonder, though, what costs we would incur through the negligence of culture.
It’s a very complex idea and something I will be diving into when I get the chance.
CoolProducts — You’ve put your finger on an major issue that I think about all the time. Set aside, for the moment, the idea of doing nothing but work or sleep — how about just working for 6 or 8 solid hours per day while you’re on the job? Not many people manage even that, which is why we so often get to the end of the day and say “Where did the time go?”
There are various reasons for this that are rooted in modern culture (e.g. inherently distractive broadcast media) or in human neurology (e.g. very poor inherent ability to delay gratification).
For counter-examples — that is, examples of people who *did* throw themselves wholly into their work — I would encourage you to explore the biographies of Isaac Newton, John Milton, Jackson Pollock, or Jack Welch.
You might also be interested in the concept of “deliberate practice” that I’ve discussed previously.
Tim, Thank you much for the insight.
I’m very glad to have found someone out there who has some relevant thought on the issue. I’ll definitely have to invest some time into reading the bios of those men and take a look at your discussion on “deliberate practice”. I may send some emails to you here sometime soon with some questions, ideas about things that I’ve found if that isn’t a problem!
Keep up the good posts!
you know, in this crazy town of ours, I think the bigger question is not how can we do more, and do it more efficiently, but how can we slow down and calm down, how can we turn off, unplug, relax and revive.
call me a hopeless dreamer. :)
Jeanne — You raise an interesting point, in particular because you seem to be (understandably) inferring something I didn’t intend to convey.
You say “not how can we do more, and do it more efficiently” and contrast that to “how can we slow down and calm down, how can we turn off, unplug, relax and revive.” I’m firmly in your camp on this, and I don’t think that doing something profound and worldchanging before lunch runs counter to this — or at least it doesn’t *necessarily* run counter.
The greatest dancers, athletes, musicians, and other performers often don’t do more things all-in-a-rush than lesser performers; they do *better* things, so that even their simplest movements have a profound effect. (Imagine Martha Graham carving a perfect arc in the air with her hand, or Luciano Pavarotti delicately holding a perfect note.) It’s not “muchness” that creates the effect, but the depth and richness of the artistry.
Now, admittedly, it may be hard to find depth and richness — much less artistry — as you’re planning a marketing campaign, or installing a new server for the network. But I do believe that each of us can carve that beautiful arc in some part of our work.
In my experience, the best performers — in business as in other parts of life — are very often those who take things calmly, even slowly, and then use that sense of space to proceed in ways that seem effortless but yield profound results.
What do you think?
I think you’re right on. I was (as usual) reading too quickly, skimming, and not catching the full intent of your post. (the first step to changing is admitting you have a problem??)
I love the notion of “deliberate practice”–if I understand correctly, it’s what I strive for when running or biking–yet somehow I don’t bring that same attention to work.
great discussion, i’ll be reading more.