You’ve already started, you know… being adaptable, that is.
People are still trying to make sense of their situation. On top of that, there’s still not a lot we can piece together from our external world either.
Think about it for a moment… that’s more to process than any of us were prepared for.
Wouldn’t that qualify as a big enough reason to just give everyone around us one big collective break? I think so.
In one way, we all felt trapped by the sudden acute isolation. Combine that with overdosing on hyper-connectivity just so we could attempt to do our work, occupy the kiddos (which I know nothing about), and keep in touch with those we care about.
Figuring out all of that was clearly being adaptable.
The following quote is from an interview with productivity expert, David Allen. He’s being interviewed by Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism.
Our minds can juggle no more than two things at one time before we experience cognitive decline. Any more than that and our productivity is compromised. While we can multitask, we cannot multi-focus.”
— David Allen, author of Getting Things Done
I will admit that I’m trying to compare productivity with coping. But I feel like they’re both limited by the same thinking capacity. What do you think?
Give yourself credit where credit is due. The sheer magnitude of everything we’ve had to deal with and adapt to has exceeded most anyone’s capacity to process.
Clarity may not be possible yet.
We are all, for the first time in our lives, openly wrestling with the same problems at the same time.”
— Jason Feifer, Editor at Entrepreneur magazine
How can anyone be confident in knowing the exact right path? Isn’t that a little too much to expect right now?
It’s time to call on your inner Darwin and be adaptable.
Charles Darwin may be one of the most famous, controversial, and misunderstood scientists in history. Is that a fair enough statement?
His theory of evolution by natural selection is known by many as simply, “the survival of the fittest.” And everyone knows* Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change.”
So where am I going with this Darwin thing? It’s simple. We don’t have to worry so much about being strong enough, we just have to focus on being adaptable.
Does this sound messy and haphazard to you?
Are you feeling like all you’ve been doing is improvising your way through this train wreck? I agree, I have too — but what else could we do?
Don’t forget, we’ve already made the shift from panic to adaptation. That’s no small accomplishment. Now we can find our second wind, carry on, and repeat what we’ve learned that’s working.
Sure, we’d all prefer having answers we can count on.
If we’re willing to see them, many are coming into focus.
The thing is… we still need each other to find our way through this. And the best way through it just might be looking out for each other. I know, it’s a radical thought…
On any given day, it’s the best we can do.
Be untucked.
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Copyright © 2020 Jeff Meister – All Rights Reserved
Boy, this is right on point and something we aren’t hearing much elsewhere. Interesting that you noted the symbiosis between productivity and coping. I know my coping capacity declines when my productivity is off, complete with self-condemnation rituals. And certainly the reverse is true. Messages like this remind us to keep plugging along and to give ourselves a little hug for managing thus far. Thanks, Jeff!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Laurie. I especially appreciate that you mentioned your experience with productivity and coping. I didn’t research my point. It was more of, “Hey, it seems to me like those two must be related.” And yes, keep taking things one step at a time. We really DO need to give ourselves credit… it’s no small feat to have come this far!
As always, a challenging posting. However, thanks for the positive, reassuring nuggets too.
Adapt, adapt….
Thanks, Lou… I think we’re better at adapting and changing (yikes!) than we give ourselves credit for.