Making the Essential Enjoyable & Easy
Making Monday
I've heard it said that how we feel on Mondays is one of the clearest indicators of life satisfaction. Here is a quick thought on how to make Monday—and every day—work better...
Law of Requisite Variety
The term “variety” was borrowed from Life Sciences and introduced to cybernetics by W. Ross Ashby in the 60s. He developed the concept further into the Law of Requisite Variety, creating a tool for thinking about organization, regulation, and stability.
The Law states that the capacity of any system must have greater complexity (variety) than the demands on the system…
Otherwise the demands overwhelm the system, crashing it.
For any system to function successfully, it must have a repertoire of responses AT LEAST as numerous and nuanced as the demands upon it.
So in a contest between a challenging environment and a system set up to manage it, flexibility wins.
Understanding and using this principle leads to robustness and resilience.
It's also the key to creating wellness plans that work.
And to getting anything accomplished of deep meaning.
It applies to relational systems, too. Let's say you and I are in negotiation. If I have only one way to get what I need while you have ten ways, chances are you are going to get more of what you need.
Flexibility wins.
Lifelong learning and growth create such flexibility.
As does creatively planning for all possible constraints. “Not getting surprised by the completely predictable,” as one of my mentors puts it.
We can build such exquisite variety in how we approach essential things that our relentless forward movement can withstand any possible challenge the environment called life can throw our way.
Having one option is no choice. Having two options is a dilemma. True choice is only possible with three or more options.
This variety is at the core of plans that work, no matter what.
Together, let's end the fight to change—
Delmar
P.S. The Law of Requisite Variety dovetails nicely with the Theory of Constraints.
