Just Seven Things

Exploring why and how we do what we do, and how we can do it better

Archive for the category “Mindfulness”

20 Jun 2008
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Why Do Personal Games Work?

Danzo08 ico_ol_3So, building on the shift I identified in my randomness post, I’ve been thinking a lot about lightness of touch. I’m contrasting this against the heavy-handed ‘mental edict’ approach of thinking that I can affect change in my consistent, persistent behaviours by instructing myself to do so.

It really brought me back to what my coach, Alison Down, highlighted when we first started to work together. That I had to start feeling instead of thinking. That I had to trust my gut rather than analysing and planning.

Even before starting to read Fooled by Randomness I had started to question what was obvious to me as an internal lack of commitment to top-down (brain-first) change. I recognised the cycle that I tend to enter of creating a structure to achieve what I want. I then try and apply the new routine. And then it fails. Invariably however I have noticed that some elements of the desired change have stuck. This tends to be the reason why I have continued trying:

  1. Because some things do stick
  2. I learn a lot during the analysis and creation of the structure to achieve what I want

Also invariably, I endeavour to create tools as part of this top-down process. Checklists or time tables to ensure my compliance.

What I’m now starting to question is whether these are something that I should avoid dismissing as being part of a top-down approach that will invariably fail. Jim Estill’s CEO blog post led me to NSC Blog by Nathan Collier and a post on Making it a Game. Both of which talk about how the simple things are the things which can harness change, or help you to make a change. They reminded me of Allen’s point at the start of Getting Things Done about the way in which we leave things by the front door to remember them the next day. The point being that the mind seems to work in simple ways.

So what does this mean for me? Well I’m going to see how relaxing the pressure on myself to change/ improve has an impact. How the use of games or scores/ scorecards can simply prompt me to incrementally achieve. Watch this space….  

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Posted in Action Orientation, Conscious and Unconscious, Control, Focus, Game Playing, Mindfulness, Time Management and tagged , , , ,
11 Jun 2008

The Twist in the Tail of Control

One of the problems of the control for stress relief urge is, for me, the focus on the long-tail of activity.

Completely contrary to all the time management guidance on frogs and Do It Tomorrows etc. It feels more like an explosion of Allen’s trusted system.

Unfortunately, when I’m in control-craving mode I seem to default to explode the light touch of the trusted system out too far. I want to process everything as quickly and as immediately as possible. I want shiny, spanky empty in-box. Yes I want everything managed and prioritised. But there’s a kick in of the need to get in control. To redress the balance of out-of-control.

I know it’s also about redressing the happiness balance and calming the mental and gut noise. But again, there’s that driver for control kicking-in. It’s a virtual auto-pilot of working for achievement. The multiple quick-wins that act as a placebo for solid action clearance.

But I still love it in a way.

Posted in Control, Happiness, Mindfulness and tagged , , | Leave a comment
10 Jun 2008

Control, Stress and Fighter Pilots

I got to thinking today about control, mindfulness and stress. I think it was in the Times on a Saturday or Sunday that they use to have this great column by a Cambridge professor call Dr Happiness (or something like that)

I think he mentioned the stats about the sign-up differences in World War One (or Two – sorry so vague) between fighter pilots and bomber crews. Even though the mortality rates were significantly higher and the risks far more material for the fighter pilots than the bomber crews, the sign-up rates were far higher for calls of duty following their return from the first.

I have since thought that there’s probably underlying factors like general risk-taking and danger-seeking that would probably take the fighter pilots into their chosen career anyway. Dr Happiness’ point however was that it was all about control.

The fighter pilots felt in control of their own destiny. Able to manage themselves and their fate. Bomber crews however did not have the same ability. They relied on others to perform other tasks. To fly the plane. To manage the fuel. To navigate. To man the defensive gun turrets. To drop the bombs.

Why was I thinking about this? Primarily because of the control thing, and really trying to think hard and identify why there is such a hard-wired relationship between feeling in control and feeling happy? It seems simplistic, but it’s so deep-rooted.

I want to know why. Is it an in-built/ historic protection mechanism? A vestige of hunter-gatherer evolution that our social/ tribalism and modern-day team working has yet to wear away?

Relatively boringly, I know that it has such an impact on my work performance. If I feel I am in control, any amount of pressure can be applied and I deal in a fairly relaxed way. Out of control and the slightest thing feels like mental constipation.

Posted in Control, Mindfulness, Stress and tagged , , | Leave a comment

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