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If Stuck, Wiggle

Randomness has been part of biology since, well, the beginning. Our senses became sharper from the risk of startling predators. Muscles need to be torn to be built. Bones need variations in stressors to remain strong. A tree without wind doesn’t develop its stress fibres. A bit of variability will beat steady repetition during recovery.

And randomness itself can help when stuck.

When a project gets stuck, it becomes tempting to add capacity. To add money, to add time. Everything stays the same, except the constraints. But, when that isn’t possible, and you feel stuck, randomness can get you unstuck. Within the constraints you have, add some randomness.

Speed up the process of trial and error.

Make mistakes on purpose to test the quality.

Skip steps where you’d normally be slow and considered.

Be slow and considered where you’d normally speed up.

Delegate where you’d normally hog the work.

Allow duplicates, inefficiencies and a bit of mess, just this time.

Speak up when you’d normally quiet down.

Catch yourself where you’d normally react, and think instead.

Just as the axe will get unstuck if you only wiggle the handle, your project too will get unstuck if you wiggle your handle on it. No need to add more time or money on the project as the only options. You don’t need wiggle room, so much as you might need more active wiggling.

Sit in a new spot, find a high vantage point with a different view.

Grab that coffee, call that mutual follow from your social network.

Publish a piece on what you’re going through.

Throw a bit of money for a different tool.

Stash your work and pretend you’re starting fresh.

Print out and use paper when you’d normally just use your screen.

Look at your timeline forward, and then look at your timeline backward.

Tolerate things be a little unclean.

Go for that walk.

You’d think that adding randomness into a system would undo it. But a little randomness adds new structures, builds strength, creates capacity, ensures agility. Better get used to randomness anyway, and if you’re stuck, might as well take a random chance.

Photo of Pascal Laliberté

New article sent every Saturday morning.
by Pascal Laliberté.