Bucking the System

What?

I recently read an article in The Futurist magazine about Buckminster Fuller. Bucky, as he is sometimes referred, seemed to be an expert in many fields. The article, by Medard Gabel and Jim Walker in the September-October 2006 issue, was titled The Anticipatory Leader: Buckminster Fuller\'s Principles for Making the World Work. Bucky apparently developed a list of 10 principles to use as a basis to explore new topics and develop new ideas. He used these principles to develop revolutionary ideas related to architecture, automobiles, cartography, economics and other fields.

So What?

Wouldn\'t it be great to know the true secrets for making the world work? How about just knowing the secrets to making your world work? Well, one way to generate new ideas is to \"cross-pollinate\" the topic you are exploring with ideas from experts in another, often unrelated, field. Therefore, I decided to see if I could cross-pollinate some of Bucky\'s ideas for making the world work and generate some ideas to help people become more focused, organized and productive.

Now What?

First, I\'ll briefly summarize each of Fuller\'s principles. Then, I\'ll suggest how you might apply the principle to the goal of becoming more productive in the workplace:

1. Think Comprehensively - Frame your problem with a wide-angle lens. Zoom out and zoom in on a particular problem and look for fundamental causes and solutions.

ProductivityApplication - According to Fuller, if you can identify and address the upstream causes of a problem, the downstream matters will often right themselves with less effort on your part.Unproductive people often confuse upstream causes with symptoms. For example, they think their backlog of paper, voice mails and e-mails is the problem...when in reality, indecisiveness is the upstream problem creating the clutter. If they learn to make better and quicker decisions on what to do with paper, voice mails and e-mails, the downstream problem related to clutter would soon disappear.

2. Anticipate the Future - Bucky apparently spent a lot of time anticipating the future by tuning in to relevant topics and tuning out unrelated noise.

ProductivityApplication - As the old saying goes, \'If you keep doing what you are doing, you are likely to keep getting the results you are getting. \'If your current behavior and workspace design are producing disorganization and clutter, you can likely anticipate a future that includes disorganization and clutter. If that\'s what you want, keep it up! If not, anticipate that you are going to have to make some significant changes in the way you operate. Secondly, in order to tune in to relevant topics, you must tune out the noise in your life. Pareto\'s 80/20 Principle suggests that we typically get 80 percent of our results from 20 percent of our efforts. Therefore, get better at tuning out the \"noise\" in your life...the 80 percent that does not matter all that much. In other words, stop doing a lot of the things you are currently doing. Use some of the time you liberate to read The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch.

3. Respect Gestation Rates - Become aware of the timing of change and progress. Everything has its own gestation rate.

Productivity Application - Don\'t get impatient when you cannot solve disorganization and productivity problems overnight. If your office is an unsightly mess, it probably didn\'t get that way overnight. It won\'t take near as much time to get it in order as it did to mess it up...but be patient with yourself. Pay particular attention to the natural gestation period of new habits.

4. Envision the Best Possible Future - Focus on envisioning what the world should be like.

Productivity Application - This idea is easy to convert to a productivityidea...envision what your world should be like. Many people complain (and do nothing) about their hectic work life. Stop complaining and spend some of that time and energy thinking about what it would be like to be grounded, centered and focused on important issues...and operating in a physical environment that promotes orderliness, tranquility and success. Whatever you think about expands in your life. Think about the way things should be!

5. Be a \"Trim Tab\" Mover of Big Ships - According to the authors, \"a trim tab acts as a small rudder used to turn the larger rudder of giant ships, offering tremendous leverage in terms of steering and changing the direction of the ship.\" Fuller saw the trim tab as a powerful metaphor for the fact that small interventions can result in significant change.

Productivity Application - A couple of years ago, I wrote a book titled Getting Organized. The book is primarily about little \"trim tab\" ideas. For the most part, the individual ideas are very easy to learn, very easy to implement and cost little or no money. However, based on the feedback I am getting from people who read the book, the ideas are helping create significant positive changes in their lives. In terms of progress in any field, tinkering usually wins out over sweeping reforms and grand strategies.

6. Take Individual Initiative - You don\'t have to be a leader to make a difference.

Productivity Application - I often listen to corporate executives who tell me \"their organization\" is going to have to get more organized and be more productive. They often lose sight of the fact that \"their organization\" is probably just a corporate charter in Delaware or some other tax-advantaged location. Any real work or progress in any organization can only be accomplished by the people who work there. Any kind of change, including getting organized, will usually be driven by motivated individuals. You can\'t take a pill that will suddenly take care of the job for you. There is no Bureau of Organizational Correctness in Washington or the state capitol that can tell you exactly what to do in your unique situation. \"If it is to be...it is up to ye!\"

7. Ask the Obvious and Naive Questions - One of Bucky\'s favorite questions was, \"Why don\'t we simply look at how nature builds things, and then build our own structures accordingly?\"

Productivity Application - If Bucky was trying to help people be more productive, I bet he would ask, \"Why don\'t we see how nature handles disorganization, chaos and clutter, and then do something similar?\" For example, nature takes care of excessive clutter and underbrush in a forest by arranging for lightning and an occasional forest fire. Unlike some office workers, nature doesn\'t allow an indefinite buildup of clutter. Nature understands the cycles of growth and rest, gestation periods and the value of small changes.

8. Do More with Less - True productivity is about knowing how to do more with less.

Productivity Application - Specifically, Bucky explained that real wealth is knowing what to do with energy. As you work through a typical day, some things drain your energy and some things replenish your energy. Disorganization, chaos and clutter absolutely zap your energy. Rather than trying to pack quantity into a day,productive people understand the value of going for quality. Use your energy wisely, operate at an appropriate pace and focus on the 20 percent that really matters.

9. Seek to Reform the Environment, Not Man - There was a great example in the article that illustrates Bucky\'s thinking on this issue. He said, \"When humans have a vital need to cross the roaring rapids of a river, as a design scientist, I would design them a bridge, causing them, I am sure, to abandon spontaneously and forever the risking of their lives by trying to swim to the other shore.\"

Productivity Application - Design your work life and workspace to encourage organized and productive responses to the demands on your time and energy. For example, you will more likely put papers away in files if you have a good filing system. Set up a structured process for handling paper, e-mails, voice mails, verbal requests and thoughts you plan to follow up on. Make sure the process keeps these incoming items flowing smoothly in and out of your life. The alternative is to allow them to flow in and get stuck in your office. And when things begin to get stuck, mental and physical clutter will soon follow.

10. Solve Problems through Action - Live a hands-on, involved and action-centered life.

Productivity Application - One of the favorite complaints these days is, \"I\'m just so overloaded and overwhelmed!\" Of course, complaining about such a dilemma will make no difference whatsoever. Use the first nine principles summarized above to develop a plan of action and execute your plan!

Read the entire article if you get a chance. I think the authors did a great job of capturing the spirit of Buckminster\'s principles and generating food for thought for making the world better...and more specifically...making your world better.

Chris Crouch has spent years researching and studying both the mental and physical aspects of being more productive. He shares his discoveries through books, articles, presentations and training materials.

You can receive regular tips on how to live a more productive and joyful life by subscribing to Chris\' blog at http://www.chriscrouch.typepad.com

Visit http://www.thegosystem.com to learn about the GO System, a course of easy-to-implement ideas on improving focus, organization and productivity in the workplace. The GO System is available as a self-study program, and is also taught by corporate trainers and professional organizers all over the country.

To learn about becoming a Certified GO System Trainer, visit http://www.gosystemcertification.com

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