The very last thing that
you might expect to boost your business output
is the concept of encouraging idleness in the workplace. Although in
wholehearted agreement, there may just be one situation in which
loafing can actually help.
Laptop
battery resistance
Batteries, especially in
laptops, have a hard life, are abused and have been known to catch
light! Every time I but a laptop, someone has a new idea about how to
look after it to improve its sorry life. Not so long a go, one of my
early laptops had a battery that lasted barely a year before it gave
up, exhausted, never to work again.
I used to give my early laptops a good hammering, putting those poor
lithium cells under tremendous pressure. I never even thought about the
battery when my laptop lid came flying open and I used it with
applications that burned up energy and produced loads of heat.
Inside the battery, the chemicals are in chaos; at one time the
electricity is being sucked out of the battery, and almost the next
moment its being pushed back in to it through the mains charger. When
the battery is full, and the nerd on the outside doesn’t
disconnect the mains adapter then what happens to the battery?
The adapter doesn’t stop pushing hard, causing resistance and
a hot spot when the battery is already bursting with the energy that it
already holds. Would you do the same with a bucket of water? I think
not.
..
Striking
a light
There’s no doubt that many things generate heat when they are
worked hard. Just think of two sticks that are used to light a fire,
and the amount of energy and pressure that is used to cause friction.
Get enough friction and you get to the objective you desired, with
plenty of heat and energy consumed in the process.
It’s the same with a match, except that the amount of energy
that is expended in arriving at the same outcome is much less.
..
If
it aint broke, don't fix it!
Batteries need a break to
make them work efficiently. Just unplugging the mains adapter when
it’s full will help, just as removing it will also give it a
break. The pressure applied with the sticks generates fire as the
limits that the sticks can stand is exceeded.
The team that deliver your products and services are much the same as
both the battery and the sticks. Businesses need their workers to be
efficient, and there’s no doubt that they need to earn the
rewards that the business generates. But just like the battery, your
teams push back as the limits of their capacity are reached. High
levels of pressure help to deliver results, but too much pressure will
cause friction and heat that eventually cause lasting damage.
Knowing when to ease off can be one of the best decisions you
make in your business, and just occasionally, idleness can actually
give it a boost!
