In some of the companies I've worked for in the past, there's this weird misconception that if you don't look stressed, then you're not taking things seriously. "I don't think you are treating this issue with the sense of urgency it requires." I never understood this.
Relax for the Same Result (2015)
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Re: Relax for the Same Result (2015)
#22For many physical efforts, overpacing and poor form can both rob you of results. In particular, exceeding your aerobic threshold for any period of time will require recovery time --- you can pull this off at the end of a ride or in a critical effort (breakaway, hill ascent) where you'll get a chance to recover afterwards, but full on and you're simply sabotaging yourself. Perceived effort is a very poor guide. In som…
Interesting that Steve Jobs had pretty much the opposite approach to group collaboration and pressure, yet got good results from them as well. At the expense of an often very miserable working environment.
Re: Relax for the Same Result (2015)
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wait, so you're telling me "don't buy upgrades, ride up grades" is a lie? I am joking, of course, but I think you're completely right in that for beginners, a small investment in upgrades (or even just a good solid bike) pays for itself in huge boosts of performance. Of course, after that, then buying more and better things is just bad for your wallet ;)
I took up biking as an adult again by biking with rental bikes in Mexico City (government owned) and they are built like tanks for durability, not for riding pleasure. When I finally got on a "real" bike, I flew. I was much faster and agile than my bike-riding friends. Because I couldn't upgrade the bike, I had to upgrade myself, and these investments are compatible with any kind of bike (or sport, actually).
It reminds me of one video (unfortunately I can't find it at the moment) where journalist vs pro rider were racing each other with different bikes - road, city bike, old lady's bike.
What was surprising that pro on lady's bike couldn't match layman journalist on proper road bike. Basically all the energy spent on women's bike goes to flexing (heating) the frame. City bike built like tank was better as at least it was sturdy.
However it also shows that good bike is so much more important as you would think pro would match you riding anything with two wheels.
Re: Relax for the Same Result (2015)
#24For many physical efforts, overpacing and poor form can both rob you of results. In particular, exceeding your aerobic threshold for any period of time will require recovery time --- you can pull this off at the end of a ride or in a critical effort (breakaway, hill ascent) where you'll get a chance to recover afterwards, but full on and you're simply sabotaging yourself. Perceived effort is a very poor guide. In som…
What a fantastic anecdote. Thanks for sharing.
Re: Relax for the Same Result (2015)
#25I get the sense of "relax", but I'm trying to get the essence of it. Is it to be more mindful, stop obsessing/stressing about the thing that you are doing while still putting action in? I still struggle sometime because the only way I think I can do something is to focus fully on it, I'm in my head tracking all of the different perspectives, and tasks that can offshoot from the current thing I am doing. Also another thing, is if you primarily "think" for a living (any knowledge work) won't you get into a habit of overanalyzing/overthinking? I've found exercise and doing something physical as the best way to get out of your head.
Re: Relax for the Same Result (2015)
#26> A few years ago, I lived in Santa Monica, California, right on the beach. There’s a great bike path that goes along the ocean for seven and a half miles. So, fifteen miles round trip. On weekday afternoons, it’s almost empty. It’s perfect for going full speed. For anyone familiar with the area, it’s clear that this article plays fast and loose with reality. The path is narrow, and nowhere near “almost empty” except…
Ha! I wonder if the seagull incident was a subtle way of giving away the author is full of crap ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Re: Relax for the Same Result (2015)
#27I think there's a similar effect in school - I realized in college that in many of my classes, it was not hard to get a B, but significantly more work to get an A. So lowering my effort level and aiming directly for a B in a class or two significantly decreased my stress levels over the semester, freed up time for extracurriculars, etc.
Re: Relax for the Same Result (2015)
#28I get the sense of "relax", but I'm trying to get the essence of it. Is it to be more mindful, stop obsessing/stressing about the thing that you are doing while still putting action in? I still struggle sometime because the only way I think I can do something is to focus fully on it, I'm in my head tracking all of the different perspectives, and tasks that can offshoot from the current thing I am doing. Also another…
The takeaway I have is basically what you said - stressing about something may make you feel like you're working harder, but really just burns up your emotional energy. From the end of the article: "When I notice that I'm all stressed out about something or driving myself to exhaustion, I . . . try dialing back my effort by 50 percent. . . . [H]alf of my effort wasn't effort at all, but just unnecessary stress that made me feel like I was doing my best."
Stress and anxiety can be a signal that you need to take something seriously, but if you're already taking it seriously, it's not helpful. If you can drop it while still responding to the situation appropriately, you'll be better off. Focus, don't obsess; progress, don't stress.
This is something I also learned in my time working technical product support - at first, when emergencies happened with the product, I would panic and scramble. But I eventually realized that didn't actually help and just made things less pleasant for me and anyone interacting with me. Everything went better if I took the emergency seriously but calmly, and just handled it without reacting emotionally.
Re: Relax for the Same Result (2015)
#29Reminds me of slow running: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L2b2khySLE
Re: Relax for the Same Result (2015)
#30For many physical efforts, overpacing and poor form can both rob you of results. In particular, exceeding your aerobic threshold for any period of time will require recovery time --- you can pull this off at the end of a ride or in a critical effort (breakaway, hill ascent) where you'll get a chance to recover afterwards, but full on and you're simply sabotaging yourself. Perceived effort is a very poor guide. In som…
Interesting that Steve Jobs had pretty much the opposite approach to group collaboration and pressure, yet got good results from them as well. At the expense of an often very miserable working environment.
Philosophies do differ widely.
There's some suggestion that young and old Jobs had markedly distinct management styles.
That's ... also discussed in a talk somewhere that I've heard recently, though I don't recall by whom at the moment.
More generally, there's been subsstantial research of highly innovative companiess, most especially the research labs at DuPont (Hounshell, https://www.worldcat.org/title/science-and-corporate-strateg...), AT&T (Gertner https://www.worldcat.org/title/idea-factory-bell-labs-and-th...), the Manhattan project (various), and more. The lighter touch seems generally preferred.