Motivation in Bursts
I don’t take well to routines and schedules where you have a quota to meet or do the same thing every day. I tend to be a little more loose and unscheduled and complete projects based on what I am feeling the most energy for at a given time. However, once I have energy for a project, I tend to attack it, immerse myself in it and do the best job I possibly can. This “burst of energy strategy” when it works can be very rewarding and fun. I often come up with some of my best ideas in these burst moments.
Burst planning, however, is not for everyone. To make it work, you have to accept a little (or a lot of stress), a willingness to change up your schedule as needed, an intensity of focus and the ability to accept that other tasks will go undone while you complete the burst task.
Others, however, like the predictability of schedules and routines. Routines also help ensure that things get done on time and there is a lower stress level when you know what the expectations are day to day. You may also have to set a schedule or routine when you are trying to coordinate with other people.
Most of the advice we get about doing just about anything to improve our lives depends on a schedules and routines mindset. The basic message is “change your life in small steps that you do every single day.” Logically, it sounds right. It sounds achievable. Yet we know that most people who start these types of programs don’t stay on them. Is it because we are all weak-willed or that we were doomed to fail from the beginning because the demands of the program do not match with the natural energies in our typical schedules?
Am I the only one who prefers a bursting work style? It turns out I am not.
“[T]here is the mythical 40 hour work week where you work 8 hours a day 5 days a week forever. While this might work for an average or good performer, I haven’t seen this work for a top performer. I find it more realistic to think of a “bursty” work schedule. There are times when work demands bursts. There are times when life demands bursts. As a manager, I have found that my top performers are able to accommodate “work bursts”. They can spend the extra hours when we’re in a clutch. They go the extra mile to deliver the work that is needed when it needs to be done. I see them do acrobatics in their lives to get the job done when the demands are there. On the other hand, since I know they are doing acrobatics in their lives to accommodate the bursty demands of work, as their manager I feel compelled to do acrobatics to accommodate the bursty demands of their lives. In essence, they have done acrobatics for me, so I do acrobatics for them. Together, we try to achieve success and find balance.”
–Susie Wee, “From Work-Life Balance to Work-Life Bursts and Work-Life Teams” HP Blog Community, July 22, 2009
It may be that some brains are just wired to view the world as a series of bursts. Dr. Linda Kreeger Silverman has identified a learning style in gifted children, which she calls “visual-spatial learners.”
“Visual-spatial learners are individuals who think in pictures rather than in words. They have a different brain organization than auditory-sequential learners. They learn better visually than auditorally. They learn all-at-once, and when the light bulb goes on, the learning is permanent. They do not learn from repetition and drill. They are whole-part learners who need to see the big picture first before they learn the details. They are non-sequential, which means that they do not learn in the step-by-step manner in which most teachers teach.”
–Linda Kreeger Silverman, Ph.D., “The Visual-Spatial Learner: An Introduction“
You have to click through to see the comic on the top of Dr. Silverman’s page illustrating the difference between sequential and spatial learners. From my perspective, you could call both the neat and tidy “sequential” cabinet and the creatively arranged “spatial” cabinet, “organized” but from completely different approaches. You can also see Dr. Silverman’s list of attributes of sequential versus “visual-spatial” learners. I don’t see myself firmly in either category. I am definitely visual but not so much spatial. My husband is also a cross between the two and is probably a spatial sequencer.
Most significantly, Dr. Silverman notes:
“[Visual-spatial learners] tend to be organizationally impaired and unconscious about time.”
–Linda Kreeger Silverman, Ph.D., “The Visual-Spatial Learner: An Introduction“
I would say “impaired” is a bit of a strong word here. It is not impossible for a visual-spatial learner to be organized but the approach has to be different than what an auditory-sequential person needs. Organizing has to be seen as a challenge to be solved rather than just the routine straightening and cleaning of items.
If you are having trouble achieving a goal due to lack of motivation, you might try approaching it from a burst perspective. When you are feeling motivated to do something, do it right then! Don’t set the expectation that you will do it every day or on a regular schedule but just when you feel like it. Over time, perhaps you will come to associate the task as being something you “get” to do rather than something you “have” to do and you might be motivated to do it more often.
If you have to do something that is unpleasant, like dieting, and you are having trouble with a routine, try a burst schedule where you diet for a certain amount of time (one meal of the day, a few days of each week or one week a month, for example) and then eat normally the rest of the time. While it may not be “perfect” to do something erratically, it will move you forward. You will learn something from each experience, perhaps even something that will help you come up with a permanent solution that works for you on a more regular basis.
Bursting doesn’t work for every type of problem but it might give you the kick-start you need!
Do you prefer a bursting or sequential work style? What type of learner are you? Please share in the comments.