Effectivity

The Benefit of Life Compartmentalism

When someone describes a life that is compartmentalised, it is meant as an insult.  They are describing the way that a person behaves with one set of ideas, morals and values in one area of their life and a completely different set in another.  They are describing someone with a lack of integrity.  I use the word compartmentalism to describe a very different and positive concept. 

Compartmentalism is dividing and making compartments around different parts of our lives.  The problems with this begin when we try to build walls between our compartments that will fence in or out our morals.  I choose to string up relatively light weight fences between the compartments in my life.  Fences that are just strong enough to restrain my motivation.  This allows me to effectively pursue a number of goals at the same time without any one of them being disadvantaged by problems in another.  Let me explain.

This week I have a running related injury.  Add this to the previous 2 weeks that I spent with a cycling injury, I have been out of action for a long time.  As a result, my motivation for running is taking a beating.  I do what I can to sustain my momentum, but when I don’t run, my focus on my goals quickly becomes a blur.  This is one struggle that I am dealing with.  However if my overall motivation - my essential self esteem - was hinging on my running, then all of my other goals would be loosing focus as well.  To stop this, I have set up compartments to restrict the negative effects from any of my goals crossing the boundary into another. 

This means that while my running is getting me down, my study is not effected.  Neither is my work or my play or any other compartment of motivation.  Without these compartments, I could easily be drawn into a negative spiral.  My compartments become a form of damage control.  One part of my life could dissapoint me, but the others will still be left intact and racing forward.

I have deliberately left this concept of compartmentalisation vague.  It will mean different things to different people.  For me, it starts with identifying the essential motivating factors in each compartment.  These factors become the reason for me being there.  Regardless of what else happens in the world, as long as this factor can be approached then I am satisfied.  If my leg is injured, I cannot approach my goal of optimal conditioning, but it has zero impact on my business goals which have their own motivating factors.  I may have any number of goals running simultaneously, but as long as they all hinge on separate motivations then they they can have their own compartments.  It is very unlikely for you to have more than 1 or 2 compartments fall over at the same time, so your overall progress can continue while you try and sort out the problems.

Since I started thinking about my goals this way I have been much less likely to change my performance with my change in mood.  One feeling or level of motivation hardly ever effects all of my goals anymore.  Instead each separate compartment is sparked by its own motivation allowing me to push on with some while others aren’t as I would hope.

I think compartmentalisation like this, is one of the most valuable concepts that anyone pursuing multiple goals can use.  Some people do it by instinct but, the rest of us have to deliberately string up some motivation proof fences.  Whatever happens, it is essential that we stop our motivation in one area being sapped away by problems in another.

What is one situation that you have found your performance in one area being dragged down by a situation in another area?  Please drop a quick comment in below with an example.