Read This If You Want To Go Faster

Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

One of the things that makes us efficient with our time is repetition.

If we do something for the first time, it's usually clunky and awkward.

After a few practice runs, we get the hang of it, and we become faster at the same motion.

This is true if you're practicing piano, learning to ski, or playing chess.

It's true for both physical and mental types of work.

So, naturally, one of the ways to get improve your efficiency is repetition.

Repetition makes us faster.

And one of the benefits of going faster is that we can do the same thing we used to do but with more brain capacity.

So, now, instead of thinking really hard about which chord to play on a guitar, we can just rock out and kick some amps over like rockstars because we just have to think "play an A chord" and our hands just do it by themselves.

The same goes for work and business.

Once you have your process in place, you get your time back so you can focus on new improvements or new innovations.

The important thing to realize is that the only way to do this is by iterating and reiterating.

We start on one, small, valuable thing first--and then move on to the next layer, feature, service, profit center, or business unit.

One. At. A. Time.

Looking back, you'll see all the amazing progress.

You'll say, "oh my gosh, I can't believe we used to do things like that."

But today, it's just going to look like today.

2 Minute Action:

What is the smallest but still valuable step you could take, today?

It doesn't even matter if you have a vision or not--sometimes just taking the first steps to help you see what's possible or what you want.

Here are some examples of first steps:

• If you were just laid off, a first step might be posting to your social network and letting people know you're looking for work.
• If you are developing a new program for a school, a first step might be creating a list of reasons programs have failed at that school before.
• If you are building a website, a first step might be building a Powerpoint that "fakes" the site's features and can still be used as a walkthrough on a sales call.
• If you are learning to play the piano, a first step might be watching a YouTube video on how to hit a C chord.
• If you are opening a food truck, a first step might be a cookout with family and friends.

Take 2 minutes and do something small and valuable to move forward.

It has to be both.

What To Do When Someone Wrongs You

Your options are:

1. Roll over and suffer in silence.
2. Avenge and suffer without resolving your long-term, internal pain.
3. Act out and hurt proximal, innocent people instead of the perpetrator.
4. Retaliate with proportionate punishment until they stop or change behavior.
5. Take something valuable from them until they stop or apologize.

Most of us can eliminate responses 1 -3 as unreasonable or unethical, but the last two are a bit more tricky. They've got more gray area to investigate.

Here's what science says on punishment:

(This section and citations are written nearly verbatim from a wonderfully comprehensive wiki on Reinforcement Theory by Brian Francis Redmond at Penn State)Act swiftly:  The closer the disciplinary action is to the actual offense, the more likely it is that the perpetrator will associate the punishment with the offense or unwanted behavior and not the dispenser of the punishment (Robbins, Odendaal, & Roodt, 2009).Be consistent:  Punishment must be doled out consistently and also within individuals.  If an employee is punished for lateness, he or she must be punished for each late occurrence thereafter.  If punishments are not consistent, rules will lose impact, there may be a decline in morale, and employees may question the competence of the dispenser of the punishment.  It is reasonable, however, to consider any mitigating factors in each punishment situation, such as past history and performance.Suggest alternative behaviors:  It is important to clearly explain the reasons for the punishment and offer the employee alternative good behaviors.  Disciplining an employee for an undesirable behavior only makes clear to him or her, what not to do.  Suggesting alternatives will educate the employee on what is the preferred behavior and make it more likely that the behavior will be changed to one that is more desirable (Robbins et al., 2009).Utilize the five to one rule:  According to Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Finkenauer and Vohs (2001), because bad interactions are more powerful emotionally than good interactions, it is important to balance the good and bad by more frequently using positive reinforcement rather than punishment.  A good ratio is five enjoyable interactions to one disagreeable interaction (Baumeister et al., 2001).Punish in private and praise in public:  Private punishment is more likely to be seen as constructive, and public punishment is more likely to cause embarrassment and negative effects if done in front of one's peers (Hellriegel & Slocum Jr., 2007).Punish and Reward.  Desirable behaviors should be rewarded and undesirable behaviors should be punished (Redmond, 2010). 

2 Min Action

How do you manage bullies or abrasive people?What tactics do you use? How will you use this new information to act differently with your family, friends, and colleagues?How will you take this and implement it in your social life and work place?Would love to hear your victories, laments, and struggles with this.