metaViper

The measure of how efficiently any body operates can be measured by the smoothness of interaction between its myriad parts. Human bodies have organs that interact via signals sent through the nervous system and through packages of nutrients and waste transferred in the bloodstream. When harmful bacteria or viruses enter the body, its resources respond immediately to slow and eventually destroy the foreign particles (remember this point, it’s important).

Zooming out to view any job function as a body, the same concepts of efficacy apply. Consider a typical office worker’s day filled with e-mails, phone calls, meetings, and spontaneous conversations. Communication takes place through wires and waves, and materials shift to different locations through mail and local trash pickup :-}

With so many parallels between bodily functions it’s only right to bring some common sense through the filter:

• If a virus or bacteria continues to fight against your immune system does your body give up? Certainly not. It either shifts to a different sort of antibody or calls in more white blood cells. Don’t let bureaucracy or contract nibbling get you down! Be persistent, and call on additional resources when it makes sense.
• When your body processes something, parts of it will come out one end or the other. After you’ve brainstormed new ways to approach a problem (that would be eating food for the layman), if it’s quality then digest it and get rid of the bad part. If it isn’t palatable, well, sometimes life can be unpleasant. Be realistic in choosing ideas that will add value without hogging resources, and good ideas can benefit from refinement.
• Looking at someone with smoldering eyes doesn’t tell them what’s wrong. Usually it takes some jaw-waggling. When a process isn’t working, tell the process owner! Laser eyes (or bellyaching to fellow disgruntled workers) won’t solve anything, other than building a common bond of disgruntlement. Be open about sharing what’s working and what isn’t, then focus on a solution.
• Muscles, organs, and the brain atrophy if not used enough and wear out quickly if overworked. Whoever’s in the middle get’s the candy. Strike a balance between focused work and joviality.
• The brain’s capacity is unlimited (though some day 100 years from now they’ll likely prove me wrong), so don’t worry about filling it up! Thirst for knowledge is one thing that separates humans from other species, though strangely, showing off seems to be common amongst living things. Learn what you thought you needed to know, then go back and learn more. You’ll be brimming with interestingness and good ideas.

Bringing these concepts together can create a sense of calm as all body parts begin working together. The kicker is cultivating an awareness of spending time where it will create the most benefit (remember my point earlier on the body immediately identifying foreign particles?). To be real though, even a perfectly healthy body can miss out on some opportunities, which is why the healthiest are the most persistent.

Good luck out there, I hope the body of efficacy helps!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at 7:13 pm and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.