All Ahead Two Third, Not Flat Out.

IMG_0464I call it the, you guessed, “Two-Thirds Rule”, and it’s measured in thumbs. With all the hoopla about burnout, work-life balance, need for white space and related others, I thought I’d share this for your benefit.

Some people say life is a marathon. Some say it’s a series of sprints. I say it’s more like a campaign. A campaign has periods of intense activity interspersed with periods of downtime. If for no other reason, this happens because there is a rhythm to life. There are cycles in life. There are cycles inbuilt in our biological clocks that we barely understand even in this day and age. These cycles determine when we sleep, when we are most active, when we function best, when we are most creative and so on. They can be influenced, of course, but this brings stress to bear on the organism. So, saying that “We own the night”, or that “A New Nation Arises” ignores the fact that humans are still diurnal, not nocturnal. Going against this natural rhythm carries with it consequences. Consequences that we would rather not have, but don’t think about until they hit us full force. Such is human nature. Take heed and regulate the pace, the tempo, if you like, of your life if you want to rise above the “hamster wheel” syndrome.

I’ve found that if we have “All Ahead Two Third” as the norm instead of “All Ahead Full”, all of us would be much happier and more productive in our work. Of course, during the day, week, month, quarter, there will be peaks and there will be times in the doldrums. And there will be times when we wonder if we’ve exceeded breaking point due to the intensity and pace of operations, but that, too, will pass. Measure “All Ahead Two Third” over a reasonable period of time, say, a week. If you find that the average is about there, you should be all set for a happy, productive life all round. Let me know if you can do it!

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