Productivity and the Rubber Band
It's a little bit like Goldilocks: Not too much, not too little, just right.
What, you might wonder, does a rubber band have to do with productivity? It's similar to the yo-yo effect, but instead of describing fluctuations in results it describes the expansion and contraction of your productive capacity. It describes tension: not enough, too much and just right.
Picture a rubber band for a moment. With very little tension it sits there doing nothing, lying on your desktop somewhat formless and lifeless. Most of us would say it's not very useful in this state, but we might be wrong. Perhaps the rubber band at rest can be equated to the (rare) moments of quiet calm. Of course, that hardly describes the working life of many entrepreneurs, but it seems worth mentioning.
Put a rubber band to work and it immediately starts to stretch. What happens when you wrap it around a rolled up piece of paper? If it's the right size and width and you wrap it just the right number of times, it becomes an effective tool for keeping that paper rolled up for years on end, or at least until the material wears out and looses elasticity. (You know, like aging.)
Now think about the same rubber band when it's stretched out further than is optimal. Imagine pulling it wide with your fingers or wrapping it around the same rolled up piece of paper one too many times.
What is likely to happen, if not right away, eventually?
it wears out more quickly or
it breaks
The Rubber Band Metaphor at Your Service
Take your thoughts back to the rubber band wrapped around that rolled up piece of paper for easy storage. You can imagine it doing its job for quite a long time. In this "perfect" state of tension it is most productive.
Now, replace the rubber band with you, sitting at your desk, doing your work.You, like the rubber band, are feeling just the "right" level of tension, enabling you to be productive - and calm - as you go about your business. In this state:
You are able to make well-considered decisions; you are patient and trusting, with no need to rush or force the outcomes.
You remain present to your body so you have no problem taking a break when needed. When you hit the end of productivity curve, you stop working.
If something comes your way that threatens to disturb the calm, you feel the tension increase but your reactions are brief. You do what needs to be done, and return to the work at hand when you can.
The Rubber Band Effect - Warning, Warning
When you stretch that rubber band - or yourself - beyond the capacity of optimal performance, you put your well-being at risk. Go on this way for too long and it becomes increasingly difficult to change direction.
Even when you're tired you keep pressing on under a misguided belief that it's OK to sacrifice your well-being for the outcome.
You run a high risk of making mistakes that will require you go back and fix them later.
You will lose touch with the inner wisdom that is still in your possession, if only you'd slow down enough to hear it.
You are more susceptible to illness.
Entrepreneurs who consistently operate at heightened states of tension tell me they fear they'd never get back to work if they stopped to rest for more than a couple of hours. They fear becoming ‘lazy,’ unproductive fools. This is a sure sign that they are at risk, and that they've come to accept this heightened state of tension as the norm - for fear of the alternative.
Fluidity and the Rubber Band Effect
In truth, we lovely human beings can't expect ourselves to remain motionless any more than we can expect ourselves to operate forever at prolonged periods of maximum capacity.
What you can do is recognize the symptoms of each of the 3 states, and check in with yourself.
If circumstances (such as a project deadline or unwanted interruptions) give rise to an increased state of tension, can you regulate your engagement level and stop when you've reached your limit?
When you notice you’re hungry - or tired - will you disengage for at least 45 minutes and take care of your body’s pressing need for food, rest or movement?
If you're often stretched to the max will you take it upon yourself to identify the pathways that would help you to return to a more optimum state of productivity?
Do you need to renegotiate some commitments?
Do you need to find someone to help you?
Do you need to to step away from work for a few days?
