Post 482 - All relationships begin with an impression - sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes ambivalent. We're never perceived in a neutral way - we're always making an impression. People believe what they see, so dress, posture, poise and personal politics have a powerful influence on career progression. Here are some key beliefs that people use in managing their impressions in order to advance in their careers:
- Merit alone isn't sufficient for advancement. Creating the appearance of being a winner and 'looking promotable' is equally important.
- It's very important to develop social relationships with superiors and co-workers. While these relationships should appear to be social in nature, in reality they're useful for job contacts and getting insider information about what's really going on in the firm.
- Looking like a 'team player' is central to career advancement. However, successful people still pursue their self-interest through 'antagonistic cooperation' - appearing to be cooperative and helpful on the surface while simultaneously gathering information about how to conquer the competition.
- In order to advance, individuals must appear to be loyal and committed to their current employers while at the same time keeping their resumes circulating and otherwise keeping their employment options open.
- If unethical behavior is sometimes necessary in order to get promoted, it's important not to advocate or even acknowledge the existence of such behavior. It also helps to become adept at inconsistency and develop the ability to hold public positions that are either mutually inconsistent or inconsistent with past public positions.
- Win the respect and admiration of superiors by publicizing accomplishments, drawing attention to skills and abilities, and publicly displaying awards.
- Keep a safe distance from negative events, deflect personal responsibility for problems, and always diminish the seriousness of difficulties.
- In many jobs, much of the real work can't be tangibly assessed and as a result, relative success in these jobs can't be easily validated. Therefore it's important to create the illusion of success and power socially through symbols such as dress and office layout. I've seen this include locks on file drawers, positioning visitors so the sun is in their eyes, and having their chairs lower than the office occupant's desk!
Today's post describes some of the political realities I've experienced in a way that may or may not match your own personal values. And, as Brian Tracey reminds us, "Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance."
Showing posts with label Life skills. Reinventing management.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life skills. Reinventing management.. Show all posts
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
How to write a report.
Post 460 - One of the most challenging tasks in business is preparing a persuasive report or memo. Here are some thoughts on this topic informed by the writings of Monci J. Williams.
The thinking in any report will be easy for a reader to follow if it focuses on answering a question that already exists in the reader’s mind. For example, a situation exists. Therefore a complication arises. As a result, a disturbing event is anticipated or a sensitive, threatening topic needs to be addressed. The complication, or the event, or the tension it creates, triggers a question which the report will answer.
Most business reports set out to answer one of the following four questions:
1. We have a task to perform. Something is stopping us from performing that task. What should we do?
2. We have a problem. We know the solution. How do we best implement it?
3. We have a problem. A solution has been suggested. Is it the right solution?
4. We have taken an action. The action didn’t work. Why not?
Reports are best prepared using the following guidelines:
- The opening sentence should anchor the reader in space and time, thus setting the stage for a story to come.
- Don’t start off by trying to “get it all down.” You may think you can find the structure more easily afterwards. But the chances are you’ll leave it, disjointed thinking and all, and move on to something else once you see it typed up.
- Put the history and chronology in the introduction but make it brief. The purpose is only to set the stage for the question and answer that will be presented in the report.
- Articulate the key question and the answer that the report will address in the introduction. Anyone who reads the introduction should know the essential substance of the full report.
- Outline the relationship between ideas before beginning to write. Cluster the ideas into groups that require similar or related actions. Each cluster of ideas should answer a question raised in the previous cluster.
This approach applies to every kind of document in which the purpose is to offer your thinking to the reader. This includes emails, one-page memos, multi-page reports, and formal slide presentations.
Finally, reports should always be written in the language of action. Instead of writing, “Improve financial reporting,” write instead, “Install a system that gives early notice of change.”
The thinking in any report will be easy for a reader to follow if it focuses on answering a question that already exists in the reader’s mind. For example, a situation exists. Therefore a complication arises. As a result, a disturbing event is anticipated or a sensitive, threatening topic needs to be addressed. The complication, or the event, or the tension it creates, triggers a question which the report will answer.
Most business reports set out to answer one of the following four questions:
1. We have a task to perform. Something is stopping us from performing that task. What should we do?
2. We have a problem. We know the solution. How do we best implement it?
3. We have a problem. A solution has been suggested. Is it the right solution?
4. We have taken an action. The action didn’t work. Why not?
Reports are best prepared using the following guidelines:
- The opening sentence should anchor the reader in space and time, thus setting the stage for a story to come.
- Don’t start off by trying to “get it all down.” You may think you can find the structure more easily afterwards. But the chances are you’ll leave it, disjointed thinking and all, and move on to something else once you see it typed up.
- Put the history and chronology in the introduction but make it brief. The purpose is only to set the stage for the question and answer that will be presented in the report.
- Articulate the key question and the answer that the report will address in the introduction. Anyone who reads the introduction should know the essential substance of the full report.
- Outline the relationship between ideas before beginning to write. Cluster the ideas into groups that require similar or related actions. Each cluster of ideas should answer a question raised in the previous cluster.
This approach applies to every kind of document in which the purpose is to offer your thinking to the reader. This includes emails, one-page memos, multi-page reports, and formal slide presentations.
Finally, reports should always be written in the language of action. Instead of writing, “Improve financial reporting,” write instead, “Install a system that gives early notice of change.”
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
How to tell powerful stories.
Post 438 - We understand and respond to the world by telling stories about it, to ourselves and to each other. These stories can be in the form of mythical tales or scientific hypotheses, theories and laws. People are hungry for stories. It’s part of our very being. Eric Chester says, “After 23-years as a full-time keynote speaker and seminar leader, I’m 100% convinced that each and every person in my audience will only allow into their brain those parts of my presentation that come riding in on the back of a finely-crafted, well-told story. My stories are the Trojan Horses that burst through the invisible walls people erect to protect themselves from the uncertainty of new ideas or the fear that they may need to make uncomfortable changes to their attitudes or behaviors.”
Stories are effective if they’re genuine, if they tell about experience, if they use self-effacing humor, and if they’re engaging. Often times when you tell a story, it makes the prospect think of a story and they'll most likely reciprocate with a story of their own. If you can get someone to tell you such a story, that’s usually a rapport builder.
Story-telling can be very effective in a sales presentation when you want to get the prospect to relate to your product or service. While facts and figures are easily forgotten, stories are remembered and retold. People buy-in to your proposition when they can imagine themselves using and benefiting from what you’re representing. Things aren’t benefits unless people know they have a need so it’s important to connect new information to what people already know. It’s also important to make your presentation memorable emotionally with examples and stories. People buy on emotion and then justify their action with facts. Give them a catchy headline first, then they’ll find it easier to listen.
Metaphors, stories and analogies bypass the conscious mind and get to the subconscious. We learn when our emotions are tapped, when we connect with others, when we hear their stories. Leaders are teachers who invest a lot of time imparting ideas, values and emotional energy to others by telling stories about their experiences. Abraham Lincoln said, “Some folks say that I tell too many stories, and maybe I do, but I don’t know of a better way to explain what I mean!”
Followers make sense of leaders with stories. Here’s an interesting exercise: Find out what stories are circulating about you where you work by asking, “What’s it like to work with me?” Who should you ask? Make a list of people who care deeply about the success of the company, who’ve demonstrated in the past that they’re candid and honest, and ask them. Tell them why you want this information and what you’re going to do with it. Such as, “I’ve lots of quantitative data but too little qualitative data. Tell me the truth and I’ll do anything in my power to change for the better based on what I hear. I plan to come back every six-months to ask this question again.” Then collect the data, gather up the themes, see the patterns in the stories. Then ask yourself if people could tell only one story about you, what would you like it to be? And act accordingly.
Aristotle’s rule is that all good stories have a distinct beginning, a middle and an end. But, according to Steven Spielberg, people today have forgotten how to be storytellers. He says, "Stories don't have a middle or an end any more. They usually have a beginning that never stops beginning."
Applying these ideas to change theory, there are four basic conditions that have to be satisfied before employees will change their behavior:
a) a compelling story, so employees can see the point of the change and be influenced to agree with it;
b) role modeling, so they can see senior management and colleagues they admire behaving in the new way;
c) reinforcing mechanisms, so that systems, processes and incentives are in line with the new behavior; and
d) capability building, so they have the skills required to make the desired changes.
Managers often tell stories about what’s changed and why others have to change in kind, or what they want to accomplish. However, what motivates them usually doesn’t motivate most of their employees. Research shows that people respond best to stories that address five forms of impact:
* Impact on society.
* Impact on the customer.
* Impact on the company.
* Impact on the immediate working environment.
* Impact on “me” as a person
Change leaders need to be able to tell a convincing story that covers all of these five areas of interest if they hope to motivate employees to change.
Finally, our emotions are governed by the stories we tell ourselves. So, make sure your self-talk is about being extraordinary and focuses on your highest and best use. A lot of self-talk is negative – who I want to be that I’m not, or what I want that I don’t have. Don’t go there.
“Storytelling is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities,” according to Dr. Seuss.
Stories are effective if they’re genuine, if they tell about experience, if they use self-effacing humor, and if they’re engaging. Often times when you tell a story, it makes the prospect think of a story and they'll most likely reciprocate with a story of their own. If you can get someone to tell you such a story, that’s usually a rapport builder.
Story-telling can be very effective in a sales presentation when you want to get the prospect to relate to your product or service. While facts and figures are easily forgotten, stories are remembered and retold. People buy-in to your proposition when they can imagine themselves using and benefiting from what you’re representing. Things aren’t benefits unless people know they have a need so it’s important to connect new information to what people already know. It’s also important to make your presentation memorable emotionally with examples and stories. People buy on emotion and then justify their action with facts. Give them a catchy headline first, then they’ll find it easier to listen.
Metaphors, stories and analogies bypass the conscious mind and get to the subconscious. We learn when our emotions are tapped, when we connect with others, when we hear their stories. Leaders are teachers who invest a lot of time imparting ideas, values and emotional energy to others by telling stories about their experiences. Abraham Lincoln said, “Some folks say that I tell too many stories, and maybe I do, but I don’t know of a better way to explain what I mean!”
Followers make sense of leaders with stories. Here’s an interesting exercise: Find out what stories are circulating about you where you work by asking, “What’s it like to work with me?” Who should you ask? Make a list of people who care deeply about the success of the company, who’ve demonstrated in the past that they’re candid and honest, and ask them. Tell them why you want this information and what you’re going to do with it. Such as, “I’ve lots of quantitative data but too little qualitative data. Tell me the truth and I’ll do anything in my power to change for the better based on what I hear. I plan to come back every six-months to ask this question again.” Then collect the data, gather up the themes, see the patterns in the stories. Then ask yourself if people could tell only one story about you, what would you like it to be? And act accordingly.
Aristotle’s rule is that all good stories have a distinct beginning, a middle and an end. But, according to Steven Spielberg, people today have forgotten how to be storytellers. He says, "Stories don't have a middle or an end any more. They usually have a beginning that never stops beginning."
Applying these ideas to change theory, there are four basic conditions that have to be satisfied before employees will change their behavior:
a) a compelling story, so employees can see the point of the change and be influenced to agree with it;
b) role modeling, so they can see senior management and colleagues they admire behaving in the new way;
c) reinforcing mechanisms, so that systems, processes and incentives are in line with the new behavior; and
d) capability building, so they have the skills required to make the desired changes.
Managers often tell stories about what’s changed and why others have to change in kind, or what they want to accomplish. However, what motivates them usually doesn’t motivate most of their employees. Research shows that people respond best to stories that address five forms of impact:
* Impact on society.
* Impact on the customer.
* Impact on the company.
* Impact on the immediate working environment.
* Impact on “me” as a person
Change leaders need to be able to tell a convincing story that covers all of these five areas of interest if they hope to motivate employees to change.
Finally, our emotions are governed by the stories we tell ourselves. So, make sure your self-talk is about being extraordinary and focuses on your highest and best use. A lot of self-talk is negative – who I want to be that I’m not, or what I want that I don’t have. Don’t go there.
“Storytelling is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities,” according to Dr. Seuss.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Learning to make good choices.
Post 425 - Life is all about choices. “It is our choices … that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” - JK Rowling.
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson.
1.
I walk down the street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I'm lost ... I'm helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
2.
I walk down the same street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I'm in the same place,
but it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
3.
I walk down the same street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it's there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It's my fault.
I get out immediately.
4.
I walk down the same street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
5.
I walk down a different street.
Charlie Munger, the Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, keeps a file of foolishness … filled with flops and the fatal fumbles that brought them forth. Rather than following the conventional wisdom of identifying and imitating the shrewd decisions that have led to business successes, as chronicled in such best sellers as Good to Great, In Search of Excellence, and Made to Last, he’s spent his time identifying and avoiding the inane decisions that have led to business blunders.
This might be a prudent strategy for everyone to follow. We could assemble our own file, and then refer to and use it systematically when making important choices.
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson.
1.
I walk down the street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I'm lost ... I'm helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
2.
I walk down the same street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I'm in the same place,
but it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
3.
I walk down the same street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it's there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It's my fault.
I get out immediately.
4.
I walk down the same street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
5.
I walk down a different street.
Charlie Munger, the Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, keeps a file of foolishness … filled with flops and the fatal fumbles that brought them forth. Rather than following the conventional wisdom of identifying and imitating the shrewd decisions that have led to business successes, as chronicled in such best sellers as Good to Great, In Search of Excellence, and Made to Last, he’s spent his time identifying and avoiding the inane decisions that have led to business blunders.
This might be a prudent strategy for everyone to follow. We could assemble our own file, and then refer to and use it systematically when making important choices.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Continuing to improve your self-discipline.
Post 392 - “I talk a lot about the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. You really only have two choices in life. And I’d rather have the pain of discipline than feel the regret.” - Joseph J. Plumeri, chairman and CEO of Willis Group Holdings.
• Hard work pays off. Some people do what’s easiest and try to avoid it — and that’s exactly why you should do the opposite. "The big secret in life is that there's no big secret. Whatever your goals, you can get there if you’re willing to work hard" according to Oprah Winfrey. Experience shows that hard challenging work is highly correlated with exceptional results. So, make it your ally instead of your enemy. Yes, you can be lucky once in a while and find an easy way to succeed. But if you're not industrious, you won't be able to maintain that success and you won't be able to repeat it. When you discipline yourself to do what's difficult, you're able to get results that are denied to everyone else. The willingness to do what's difficult gives you the key to a special private treasure room. The greater your capacity for hard work, the more rewards fall within your grasp. The deeper you can dig, the more treasure you can potentially find.
• Being industrious doesn’t necessarily mean doing work that’s challenging or difficult. It simply means putting in the time. In life, there are many tasks that aren’t necessarily difficult or exciting, but they collectively require a significant investment of your time. If you ignore them, you'll likely end up with a mess on your hands. You can be industrious doing easy work or hard work. The more you discipline yourself to be industrious, the more value you squeeze out of the time that's available to you. Time is a constant, but your personal efficiency is not. Despite all the technology that's available to potentially make us more efficient, your personal productivity is still your greatest bottleneck. Don’t look to technology to make you more productive. If you're not productive without technology, you won’t be productive with it - indeed, it will only mask your bad habits.
• The fifth and final pillar of self-discipline is persistence - the ability to keep at it regardless of your feelings. You press on even when you feel like quitting. Listen to Calvin Coolidge on this subject: "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Persistence ultimately generates its own motivation. If you keep on keeping on, you’ll eventually get results, and these results can be very motivating. For example, you're likely to become a lot more enthusiastic about dieting and exercising once you’ve lost the first 10 pounds and feel your clothes fitting you better.
When activities persist and become habits, less and less self-discipline is necessary to accomplish them. As an example, when you were younger, your parents had to remind you to brush your teeth every day after meals. Eventually, this activity became a habit. Now, hopefully, brushing your teeth doesn't require willpower anymore because you're on “automatic pilot.”
As a general rule, persistence of action comes from persistence of vision. When you’re really clear about what you want to accomplish in such a way that your vision doesn’t change very much, you’ll be consistent in your actions. And that consistency of action will produce consistency of results.
• Hard work pays off. Some people do what’s easiest and try to avoid it — and that’s exactly why you should do the opposite. "The big secret in life is that there's no big secret. Whatever your goals, you can get there if you’re willing to work hard" according to Oprah Winfrey. Experience shows that hard challenging work is highly correlated with exceptional results. So, make it your ally instead of your enemy. Yes, you can be lucky once in a while and find an easy way to succeed. But if you're not industrious, you won't be able to maintain that success and you won't be able to repeat it. When you discipline yourself to do what's difficult, you're able to get results that are denied to everyone else. The willingness to do what's difficult gives you the key to a special private treasure room. The greater your capacity for hard work, the more rewards fall within your grasp. The deeper you can dig, the more treasure you can potentially find.
• Being industrious doesn’t necessarily mean doing work that’s challenging or difficult. It simply means putting in the time. In life, there are many tasks that aren’t necessarily difficult or exciting, but they collectively require a significant investment of your time. If you ignore them, you'll likely end up with a mess on your hands. You can be industrious doing easy work or hard work. The more you discipline yourself to be industrious, the more value you squeeze out of the time that's available to you. Time is a constant, but your personal efficiency is not. Despite all the technology that's available to potentially make us more efficient, your personal productivity is still your greatest bottleneck. Don’t look to technology to make you more productive. If you're not productive without technology, you won’t be productive with it - indeed, it will only mask your bad habits.
• The fifth and final pillar of self-discipline is persistence - the ability to keep at it regardless of your feelings. You press on even when you feel like quitting. Listen to Calvin Coolidge on this subject: "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Persistence ultimately generates its own motivation. If you keep on keeping on, you’ll eventually get results, and these results can be very motivating. For example, you're likely to become a lot more enthusiastic about dieting and exercising once you’ve lost the first 10 pounds and feel your clothes fitting you better.
When activities persist and become habits, less and less self-discipline is necessary to accomplish them. As an example, when you were younger, your parents had to remind you to brush your teeth every day after meals. Eventually, this activity became a habit. Now, hopefully, brushing your teeth doesn't require willpower anymore because you're on “automatic pilot.”
As a general rule, persistence of action comes from persistence of vision. When you’re really clear about what you want to accomplish in such a way that your vision doesn’t change very much, you’ll be consistent in your actions. And that consistency of action will produce consistency of results.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
How to improve your self-discipline.
Post 392 - Yesterday's post may have seemed obvious advice for many, but after a lifetime spent in meetings, I've found that these guidelines are ignored more often than they're practiced. This suggests that a few words about self-discipline might be in order. Vince Lombardi once noted that, "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."
Self-discipline is the ability to get yourself to take action regardless of how you feel. Imagine what you could accomplish if you could follow through on your best intentions no matter what. Experience suggests the more disciplined you become, the easier life gets. Self-discipline is like a muscle. The more you train it, the stronger it gets. But it takes self-discipline to build self-discipline. You can learn to improve by tackling challenges that you can successfully accomplish but which are near your limit. This doesn’t mean trying something new and failing at it every day, but it doesn't mean staying in your comfort zone either.
Steve Pavlina writes that the five pillars of self-discipline are: Acceptance, Willpower, Hard Work, Industry, and Persistence. The first letter of each gives you the acronym “A WHIP,” which is a convenient way to remember them. That way, you can think of self-discipline as whipping yourself into shape!
• Acceptance means that you see reality accurately and consciously acknowledge what you perceive. This may sound simple, but in real life it can be very difficult. If you experience chronic difficulties in a specific area, the root of the problem is probably a failure to accept reality as it is. And if you haven’t consciously acknowledged where you currently stand in terms of your level of self-discipline, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to improve in this area. So begin by identifying an area where your discipline is weakest, assess where you stand right now, acknowledge this as your starting point, and design a program to improve in this area. Start out with some easy exercises you know you can do, and gradually progress to greater challenges.
• Willpower is your ability to set a course of action and “Go for it!” Start by sitting down and making a plan. This doesn’t require a lot of energy, and you can spread the work over several days if you wish. Don’t try to attack your biggest problem directly. Instead attack the environmental and social obstacles that perpetuate the problem. Once you implement the plan, you can turn it into a habit. Habit puts action on autopilot, so very little willpower is needed for ongoing progress. This makes it a whole lot easier to achieve your goal of improved self-discipline.
Hard Work, Industry, and Persistence tomorrow.
Self-discipline is the ability to get yourself to take action regardless of how you feel. Imagine what you could accomplish if you could follow through on your best intentions no matter what. Experience suggests the more disciplined you become, the easier life gets. Self-discipline is like a muscle. The more you train it, the stronger it gets. But it takes self-discipline to build self-discipline. You can learn to improve by tackling challenges that you can successfully accomplish but which are near your limit. This doesn’t mean trying something new and failing at it every day, but it doesn't mean staying in your comfort zone either.
Steve Pavlina writes that the five pillars of self-discipline are: Acceptance, Willpower, Hard Work, Industry, and Persistence. The first letter of each gives you the acronym “A WHIP,” which is a convenient way to remember them. That way, you can think of self-discipline as whipping yourself into shape!
• Acceptance means that you see reality accurately and consciously acknowledge what you perceive. This may sound simple, but in real life it can be very difficult. If you experience chronic difficulties in a specific area, the root of the problem is probably a failure to accept reality as it is. And if you haven’t consciously acknowledged where you currently stand in terms of your level of self-discipline, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to improve in this area. So begin by identifying an area where your discipline is weakest, assess where you stand right now, acknowledge this as your starting point, and design a program to improve in this area. Start out with some easy exercises you know you can do, and gradually progress to greater challenges.
• Willpower is your ability to set a course of action and “Go for it!” Start by sitting down and making a plan. This doesn’t require a lot of energy, and you can spread the work over several days if you wish. Don’t try to attack your biggest problem directly. Instead attack the environmental and social obstacles that perpetuate the problem. Once you implement the plan, you can turn it into a habit. Habit puts action on autopilot, so very little willpower is needed for ongoing progress. This makes it a whole lot easier to achieve your goal of improved self-discipline.
Hard Work, Industry, and Persistence tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
How to cultivate silence, stillness, and solitude.
Post 330 - Richard Mahler is a freelance writer in Santa Fe, NM. His book, Stillness: Daily Gifts of Solitude is about the steady loss of silence, solitude, and simplicity in modern life, and why overscheduled Americans need them back. Here are some of his observations:
"Busy" is more than a buzzword these days. It's shorthand for, "My schedule is a nightmare, my phone won't stop ringing, and my e-mail box is overflowing. I have a mile-long list of obligations to my spouse, boss, kids, friends, pets, car, and houseplants. I'm so swamped that I can't afford to give you more than a one-word answer." What's wrong with being busy? Plenty. Americans have become the most anxious, time-stressed people in the world, thanks in part to all the high-tech devices at our fingertips that are meant to make life easier. The white noise of trivia and the thrill of consumption fill our heads and guide our behaviors.
Within the last 20 years, we've backed away from heavy smoking, hard drinking, and recreational sex as permissible indulgences; yet working our fingers to the bone-and our brains to jelly-is still perfectly okay. In fact, it's given approval at every turn. Walk into any airport and you're surrounded by people at work: on the phone, at the keyboard, in the briefcase. Hotels compete to see who can offer travelers the greatest number of work-related amenities, such as high-speed Internet access, fax machines, office-style desks, and overnight courier services. Sit down at a restaurant, drive down an interstate, ride a commuter train, or take a walk: half the folks around you are lost to a cel phone or a laptop.
What's missing? The three things many of us long for: silence, stillness, and solitude. Unnatural sound has invaded virtually all of our public spaces, including otherwise pristine national parks. In 1998, wilderness sound recordist, Gordon Hempton, toured 15 states and found only two areas - remote parts of Colorado and Minnesota - that were free of sounds made by motors, airplanes, guns, and other human-operated devices for more than 15 minutes during daylight hours. Noise is everywhere once we walk out the door, but somehow we also feel compelled to introduce it to our inner-sanctums: flicking on TV sets, computers, or stereos; playing back answering machines; encouraging our children to play video games; and installing gadgets in every room of the house. As columnist Anna Quindlen notes, the static in the collective national psyche "threatens to drown out the small voices of cosmic questioning or contentment."
Both clinical research and personal experience confirm that self-reflection is a valuable tool for reducing stress, expanding insight, and increasing happiness. The benefits of devoting even ten quiet minutes a day to ourselves include mental clarity, greater efficiency, and a sense of well-being. The negative consequences of constant interaction are obvious. We get irritable and short-tempered, restless and tired, without seeming to know why. Silence is accessible to each of us and costs nothing. Stillness is as soothing as a bubble bath, as illuminating as a bright idea, and as thrilling as a new romance. Solitude allows us, as 19th-century writer Henry David Thoreau observed at Walden Pond, to "be completely true to ourselves." The ability to mold a healthful and life-affirming environment remains within our grasp, even though human-made sound and activity continue to encroach on public and private space. And as we continue filling the world with distractions, often unbidden, we will keep craving the serenity that inevitably shrinks with their arrival.
"Busy" is more than a buzzword these days. It's shorthand for, "My schedule is a nightmare, my phone won't stop ringing, and my e-mail box is overflowing. I have a mile-long list of obligations to my spouse, boss, kids, friends, pets, car, and houseplants. I'm so swamped that I can't afford to give you more than a one-word answer." What's wrong with being busy? Plenty. Americans have become the most anxious, time-stressed people in the world, thanks in part to all the high-tech devices at our fingertips that are meant to make life easier. The white noise of trivia and the thrill of consumption fill our heads and guide our behaviors.
Within the last 20 years, we've backed away from heavy smoking, hard drinking, and recreational sex as permissible indulgences; yet working our fingers to the bone-and our brains to jelly-is still perfectly okay. In fact, it's given approval at every turn. Walk into any airport and you're surrounded by people at work: on the phone, at the keyboard, in the briefcase. Hotels compete to see who can offer travelers the greatest number of work-related amenities, such as high-speed Internet access, fax machines, office-style desks, and overnight courier services. Sit down at a restaurant, drive down an interstate, ride a commuter train, or take a walk: half the folks around you are lost to a cel phone or a laptop.
What's missing? The three things many of us long for: silence, stillness, and solitude. Unnatural sound has invaded virtually all of our public spaces, including otherwise pristine national parks. In 1998, wilderness sound recordist, Gordon Hempton, toured 15 states and found only two areas - remote parts of Colorado and Minnesota - that were free of sounds made by motors, airplanes, guns, and other human-operated devices for more than 15 minutes during daylight hours. Noise is everywhere once we walk out the door, but somehow we also feel compelled to introduce it to our inner-sanctums: flicking on TV sets, computers, or stereos; playing back answering machines; encouraging our children to play video games; and installing gadgets in every room of the house. As columnist Anna Quindlen notes, the static in the collective national psyche "threatens to drown out the small voices of cosmic questioning or contentment."
Both clinical research and personal experience confirm that self-reflection is a valuable tool for reducing stress, expanding insight, and increasing happiness. The benefits of devoting even ten quiet minutes a day to ourselves include mental clarity, greater efficiency, and a sense of well-being. The negative consequences of constant interaction are obvious. We get irritable and short-tempered, restless and tired, without seeming to know why. Silence is accessible to each of us and costs nothing. Stillness is as soothing as a bubble bath, as illuminating as a bright idea, and as thrilling as a new romance. Solitude allows us, as 19th-century writer Henry David Thoreau observed at Walden Pond, to "be completely true to ourselves." The ability to mold a healthful and life-affirming environment remains within our grasp, even though human-made sound and activity continue to encroach on public and private space. And as we continue filling the world with distractions, often unbidden, we will keep craving the serenity that inevitably shrinks with their arrival.
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