In early 1996 Dr. Stephen Randall published a book, Results in No Time, to introduce a new vision of work that breaks through all limitations to peak performance in the workplace--including limiting paradigms, systems thinking, and models--and simultaneously optimizes well-being, results, and quality.
The first excerpt of the book appears below. To look at a second excerpt, click here.
Michael is the main character in Results in No Time. Michael is a banker on a quest to become an 'optimal worker'--someone who has mastered all aspects of work. Recently he heard about a newspaper reporter named Jed Adams who might be an optimal worker. He arranged a lunchtime meeting with Jed . . . .
At Jed's office, Michael introduced himself to Adams, took off his jacket, and said, "When I called the newspaper, the person at the switchboard called you a 'timeless worker'. Why is that?"
"Well," Jed replied, "I'm fascinated by timelessness, whether within work life or not. It's a lodestar. A nonpersonal guide, a virtue, an integral aspect of masterful living. A facet of all peak experiences. My deepest experiences always have a timeless quality, never a 'normal' experience of time flowing."
With a bit of confusion, Michael said, "They don't have an experience of time flowing?"
"No, the best 'times' are actually 'timelessnesses', occasions that have little or no feeling of time passing relentlessly and out of control from past to present to future."
Michael looked up toward the wall. "Hmmm, I'm not sure I ever really thought about that."
"How about you, Michael? What is the quality of time or timelessness within the best episodes of your life?"
Timelessness and Effortless Flow
Michael sorted through a number of memorable occasions, then settled on one: "I recall being at the beach one wonderfully warm vacation day, lying peacefully on my blanket, just listening to the waves and watching the clouds. I was really relaxed, not a care in the world. I was just there, unaware of time, not feeling pressured by what was next on the schedule."
"So you weren't aware of time passing?"
"No," said Michael between munches on his sandwich. "Or at least not much--even though I was probably there for hours."
Jed opened a small refrigerator in the corner of his office. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Yes, thanks. One of those mineral waters would be great."
Another memorable 'high experience' drew Michael's attention. "There was another occasion when I was working at the bank, preparing documents for the end-of-year tax filing. I had a great deal to do, but I got into it, and after a while it just seemed like everything went by itself. Everything fell in line, with no effort on my part. It was exhilarating."
"Were you aware of time passing?" Jed asked.
"Well, I'm not sure. There was a lot of activity, but I wasn't struggling against some momentum of time the way I often do. And there was no sense of past, present, or future."
[To the reader: In the examples of peak experience that you can think of, did you conclude that 'time passed quickly'? If so, consider this: Did time 'really' flow quickly, or was it only after some uninterrupted activity during which there was no feeling of time that you came out of the activity, looked at a clock, remembered when you started, and then interpreted that 'the time' must have flown?]
"Can you say more?"
"Things flowed in a way that was enjoyable and exhilarating, rather than with the typical anxiety and pressure. Maybe I was so engrossed in what was happening that there was no room for time."
"And you said things went effortlessly?"
"Yes, as if I wasn't there. And as if the usual resistance in getting things done just wasn't there."
"Your experience reminds me of the eye of a hurricane. A hurricane can give the appearance that a lot is happening, yet there is no disturbance within the whirlwind of activity--like nothing is happening."
"That's a good analogy. I wasn't struggling with my work in the typical race against time. There was no one disturbed within the whirlwind of tax preparation."
"So, Michael, if we understand the word timeless to mean 'without the common feeling of time flowing from past to present to future,' then even though this peak experience of yours had lots of action, it looks like an example of timeless activity."
"I guess so."
"Your example matches what everyone else I've talked to has said. The best 'times' of life seem to have a timeless facet. The usual friction of time just isn't there. In addition, the example illustrates another virtue, which the people in a research group that I belong to call 'unobstructed flow'."
"You mean the effortless, uncontrolled energy of the check sorting?" Michael asked.
"Exactly." Adams took a drink.
The Best Results Appear in No Time
"But getting back to your original question of why some co-workers call me a 'timeless worker'," said Adams, "as we've discussed, the best of everything seems to be timeless. And that includes my best work. When I'm at my best, I don't experience time passing. And I talk about this so much around here that they call me a 'timeless worker'."
"I see."
"Did you notice that plaque?" Jed pointed to the side wall.
Michael squinted and read aloud: "When working, you get the best results in no time."
Jed leaned back in his seat. "This guiding principle has been very useful for some of us here. If we notice a sense of time flowing in the background of experience, we know that our work is not optimal, not what it could be."
Copyright © 1996 by Stephen Randall.
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RESULTS IN NO TIME
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Take me to a second excerpt of Results in No Time
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