Theory of Constraints.
During my 7 years of boarding school, our days were packed, from 5 in the morning till 9 in the evening.
Morning PT, assembly, classes, clubs, sports, self study time, meals - all worked by the clock, every single day of the week except Sunday. Whatever little slack this routine afforded would often be consumed preparing for one or the other inter-house competition.
In every batch, a handful of smart and ambitious people would drop out after class 10. They would join other schools where they did not have to bother about extra-curricular activities. Logic: the time thus saved could be all devoted to studies, in preparation for the competitive exams after class 12.
Almost in every batch, when the results came out after class 12, those who stayed in the boarding would, on an average, do better than those who dropped out - both in competitive exams and class 12 board exams.
This is counter intuitive, but a good example of how the psychology of performance works.
I was reminded of this while browsing through my wearable data recently. I noticed that I have been physically much more active in the past year or so than in any other year in all of last decade. Not having the choice to go out for runs because of COVID restrictions and the fear of work from home calendar creep impacting my fitness made me more serious about physical activity. Result: I spent more time running inside the house or doing my online cult sessions. I was more disciplined and consistent.
We cherish free-will, freedom, and choices. Yet, more often than not, we perform better under constraints.
For average folks, these constraints are defined by circumstances.
Exceptional people define their own constraints.
#workfromhome #psychology #leadership #management #motivation #performance