Productivity and the Rubber Band Effect

What, you might ask, is "the rubber band effect?" It's a bit like the yo-yo effect, but rather than describing fluctuations in results it describes the expansion and contraction of your capacity to deliver. 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 meditation. Of course, that hardly describes the lives of most busy professionals, 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 but one too many times. What is likely to happen, if not right away, eventually?

- it wears out more quickly or
- it breaks

The idea of "rubber band effect" has come to mind frequently in recent conversations with other business owners. I see situations in which it is working for someone, and others in which it starts to work against them. Let's explore it a bit more.

The Rubber Band Effect at Your Service

Take your thoughts back to the rubber band at work, at just the right size, 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, causing you to be productive with a sense of 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 are present to your body so you have no problem taking a break when needed. When you hit the end of productivity, rather than press through in response to some preset expectation, you stop working and do something else.

- You have a high degree of confidence that the work you're doing is the work that needs to be done.

- You recognize and hear the wisdom that comes from within; you trust your gut responses.

- You recognize that not everything you do will be oh so absolutely perfect, but you know it is certainly good enough, and your best in the moment.

- 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 work 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 everything at risk. Go on this way too long and it feels like you can't even stop long enough to get back to optimal performance.

- 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.

- If you haven't hired help, it will be much harder to stop and do so at this point.

- You will lose touch with the inner wisdom that is still in your possession, if only you'd slow down a bit so you could hear it.

- You're likely to chase results only to find they elude you.

- You could get sick, or alienate the people you love.

- Desperate for relief, you may spend money on someone else's promise of the magic solution, when all you needed was a bit of perspective.

Those I talk to who are used to operating at heightened states of tension tell me they fear they'll never get back to work if they take any time to rest. They literally think that once they let go and stop to rest they'll never get that tension back; they'll become 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.

I fear that more and more people are operating in this range. If we're going to get our work done, though, we can't. We'll be unhappy, burn out and in the end be less than satisfied with the results.

Fluidity and the Rubber Band Effect

When you read my bulleted lists in the last two sections, could you feel the difference in your body? Didn't you want to stop reading the second list of warning effects and go do something else? (I certainly did when I wrote the two lists.)

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, though, is recognize the symptoms of each of the 3 states, and ask yourself questions.

- If circumstances (such as a project deadline or unwanted interruptions) give rise to an increased state of tension, can you modulate your responses and let go when you've reached your limit?

- If you've reached a point in your business where you do need help to continue to grow, will you stop and get it, or will you stubbornly persist without it?

- If you're hungry will you step away from your desk for 30-45 minutes and sit down somewhere else to prepare your food and eat it?

- If you're often stretched to the max will you take it upon yourself to identify the pathways that help you to return to a more optimum state of productivity?

Will you, my business friend, give yourself a break, and bring your expectations of yourself in line with what you can actually accomplish? I say it's time for an evolution. I am here to assist.