Business Cycles

One of my favorite things about my profession is that it is cyclical. As a college professor, I have the sense of a "new beginning" every fall (actually, every August). This is another opportunity to "get it right," whatever that may be.

This is not to say that I don't work during the May 15-August 15 hiatus. I do (although obviously my blog was not part of that workload)! I teach a fun course at one of our satellite campuses, which entails 4-5 weekends away from home. I also try to produce at least one paper, either to present at a conference or to submit to a journal. But I relish the less structured time and especially enjoy the time I can spend with family and do projects around the home.

Around this time in the summer, though, my entropy becomes overwhelming to me, in the sense that I have less energy for work and feel more random. (Boy, do I get spacey!) It is time to embrace a routine, institute self-discipline, and build my enthalpy.

So I approach the academic year with a renewed sense of drive, purpose and commitment.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if businesses could leverage their cycles like that? Some do, e.g., closing for a week or two during the slower summer months. One company I worked for had half-days on Fridays during the summer. I do not think throughput suffered as a result.

When I was in corporate sales, business cycles were more of a mixed blessing. At the beginning of the fiscal year, my quota was reset -- and my attainment went back to zero. That did not mean that my energy and enthusiasm were restored, though.

Recently, I read an article in the Harvard Business Review (Perlow and Porter, October 2009) about the benefit of enforced time off. The context was the consulting business and the point was that consultants had better staying power when they could anticipate and permit themselves some "down time."

Wouldn't we all benefit from that?

Individual Throughput

When I was younger, I found it hard to understand why other people could not "get it all done." I was a hard worker, efficient, and results-oriented.

That changed dramatically in my early thirties, for two key reasons. The first is that I had a child. Suddenly, my ability to manage and control my time was greatly diminished. My priorities were divided. There was never enough time to do all that I wanted to do as a mother and as a professional.

The second reason was my career change, from the corporate world into academe. I was better able gto pick and choose the things I worked on, but never really felt completely done, especially as I was developing my expertise. There was always more to learn -- and there are still so many interesting problems to solve!

As a result, during that season of life, I allowed myself very little downtime. As I often said, "I'm a working mom. I'm either working or mom-ing." No wonder I became stressed, cranky, tired and overweight. But I had good throughput!

As I approach 50 (and a new season!), the need for downtime is crystal clear to me. I do not believe this is a function of age, but rather, a result of wisdom. Downtime is beneficial because it restores and re-energizes. And I believe that, by giving yourself the freedom to shut down (and disconnect), you are actually going to improve your overall throughput.

This belief is supported by a recent article published in the Harvard Business Review's October 2009 issue (Reprint # R0910M). In their study of management consultants, Leslie Perrow and Jessica Porter suggest that "Making Time Off Predictable -- and Required" produces better overall results for individuals, the teams, the professional services firm, and the clients.

In our family, we have a few ways in which we achieve downtown. One is the "mental health day," when we are absent from work and/or school to recharge and de-stress. More often, though, we observe the Sabbath (although not always the same day/time of the week). Napping is encouraged and accomplishing tasks and chores is forbidden. We also try, with mixed success, to have disconnected vacations. To achieve this, my son and I have to shake down my husband and get his phone and watch. Otherwise, it becomes a "virtual vacation."

Try this yourself. Set aside a day and give yourself permission to be a human being, not a human doing.