A way to help teams become more sustainably productive.
I've been giving talks and teaching courses on how to reduce stress and increase output at tech companies for 3+ years.
In the beginning, I was very focused on which methods they should be using. As mindfulness and meditation had proven effective for me, I wanted everyone else to start practicing as well.
But the more I learned, the less attached I became to the methods. Now, it seems more important to understand what is the greatest obstacle for that particular individual and team before suggesting solutions.
I've been developing this method over the last year and I iterate it on a monthly basis.
The goal is that everyone should be ...
Definition: the way you're working shouldn't result in any sick leave or physical symptoms due to stress.
State: in Sweden, more people are sick from mental health problems (most often "acute stress reaction") than physical health problems. This is increasing every year, and thus not very sustainable.
Definition: create as much value as possible.
State: most teams I work with feel confused and that their work is not meaningful.
Note that productivity doesn't mean speed. There's no need working faster if you are working on the wrong thing. What's the right thing, then? Well ... that is very subjective. Some find it meaningful to write beautiful code, no matter what the end product is. Other's want to reduce suffering for others. Productivity is a more subjective thing than we usually talk about it.
A group meets for 4-12 times, weekly or monthly. They discuss their obstacles to sustainable productivity and help each other out. Between each session they might do experiments to work around their obstacles.
A facilitator takes on the role of solving all the practical stuff as well as making sure everyone feels safe and heard. The facilitator also ask specific questions during the group session.
The Lightly Method results in lower stress, higher productivity, and more well-being.
Everybody believes. Even atheists like me belive. So what beliefs are the basis for this method?
- Psychology is complicated. Humans are not binary. There are rarely easy solutions to the greatest obstacle in an individual's life.
- Suffering is a necessary part of life. If we dig deep enough, we find that suffering is necessary for happiness, and therefore not something we should completely remove.
- We don't need more information. You already know so, so much. "Wisdom is taking your own advice." What we need help with is to clarify our thinking, prioritize, and make the changes we know we need.
- Everyone doesn't need to improve. The problem could actually be that you are trying to improve all the time.
- Big things first. It's easy to get caught up in details, but we will also not create as meaningful changes there.
- The scientific method is the best way to determine if something is true or not. The first step of the scientific method is to assume ignorance and let the results of experiments speak.
... and then there are some things that are not based on beliefs.
- The brain is malleable. You don't have the same personality when you are 77 as when you are 17. The brain is plastic, changeable.
- Most of what is happening in the brain happens on a sub-conscious level. Therefore, we are not always the best judges of why we do what we do.
- Our brains were built for a completely different environment. Therefore, most of our behaviour is not rational from a modern standpoint. (But very rational from a cave-persons standpoint). Bugs include: over-reacting to danger, looking for high-energy food, prioritizing suffering of those who are close and similar-looking to ourselves.
In summary: we are hard-wired and we can change. It's tough but not hopeless. A willingness to improve should be coupled with a willingness to accept some of our flaws.
The Lightly Method is open sourced. That means that you can take it and start teaching it and make money if you want to without asking me. The only thing I want in return is for you to publish your own version under the same license. To pay it forward.
Schedule a meeting for 10 + (10 times the number of participants) minutes. If you have eight participants, schedule 90 minutes.
Meet once a week or month until the group is satisfied. This might take four sessions, or eight, or twelve. If the group is not satisfied after twelve sessions, maybe the method is not the right fit.
The facilitator has a special role to play. You are not in the group to solve their problems. It might feel tempting, but that's not it. You are no genuis, no guru, no Tony Robbins charlatan.
The facilitator is there to ...
- Help them discover what is stopping them from being sustainably productive. Encourage reflection. Ask questions.
- Do all the practical work: find the time, email participants, recommend books.
- Make sure everyone get's their chance to say what's on their mind.
- Make the sessions run smooth.
- Be well read and curious as h*ck. Read, think, listen, watch, learn, learn, learn. The more perspectives the facilitator can bring in, the more ideas you can bring into the sessions. Philosophy, leadership, psychology, organizational theory, productivity, technology, biology ... voraciousness is key.
Some basic knowledge on productivity and stress is helpful for the participants. You could just teach them this, or recommend them a few books. I find that the combination of Daniel Golemans "Focus", Mihaly Czikszentmihaly's "Flow" and Chade Meng-Tan's "Search Inside Yourself" make a good basis of knowledge.
Send out a Google form before the first session. The Google form should be anonymous and measure sustainability and productivity from a subjective level on a scale of 1-10. Set a goal with the group on what numbers you want to reach. Once you've reached your goals, there's no need for more sessions.
Before the group meets, the participants should all spent some time to reflect on their situation on their own. Methods for reflection include meditation, journaling, open & honest conversations and taking walks. The should come into the session with an idea of what their main obstacle is.
It is the facilitator's job to encourage this reflection. I usually send out the suggestion when I send the measurement form.
During the session, each participant will take turn to share their greatest obstacle to sustainable productivity. Your role as a facilitator is to ask questions about this obstacle. The goal is either to come up with a new way to see it, or the create an experiment where we could perhaps remove it. Sometimes, just talking about something is solving it: you feel heard, not alone. Talking about it might also clarify your thinking, which could be a solution in and of itself.
I've listed benefits under each question to clarify the point of asking them. Not all benefits will come of each question, and if you notice that a question doesn't seem to bring any benefit, just stop asking it.
Benefit: See that reflection is necessary. Benefit: Know which ways of reflection are most effective. Benefit: If no reflection has been performed, realize that this is just top-of-mind, and maybe not the root cause of the problem. Incentive to reflect more until next time.
Benefit: Just telling others might be helpful. Benefit: Note that there are people listening. I'm not alone.
Before you ask this question, be clear on boundaries. Maybe the greatest obstacle is something that the participant doesn't want to share with the group because it's personal. If so, that is of course fine. If there is another obstacle that is affecting them in a tangible way, then talk about that. If not, just move on to the next person.
Note that it's not up to us to judge if this is the greatest obstacle or not. We can ask questions about it, but in the end, the individual is free to make this call. We can only live in our own hell.
Even if someone doesn't have something to share – no obstacles – they still have an important role to play. They will be able to bring in perspectives and ask questions to the other participants.
Benefit: Don't feel as much of a freak or as alone with the problem.
Benefit: Could be more accepting towards the obstacle, maybe even see it as necessary.
This is truly where your role as a facilitator plays in. The more you've read on psychology, philosophy, leadership, productivity, the more viewpoints you will be able to bring in at this point.
Don't tell the participants how it is. Just bring in other perspectives. "Could it be that ..." or "What if we look at it from this angle .." are most effective.
Benefit: Insight.
Benefit: Realize that the obstacle is meta-OK. "Even though it's not OK, it's OK." Benefit: Realize that as humans, we will never be perfect. Be more accepting towards oneself. Which in itself reduces suffering. ("du blir aldrig klar")
Benefit: Realize where energy needs to be spent to work with the obstacle.
Remind the group that they should not try to solve the obstacle to quickly. We are used to that in our day-to-day work: to solve problems as quickly as possible. But when it comes to psychology, it's rarely that easy.
Benefit: Deeper understanding of obstacle. Benefit: Additional perspectives.
Benefit: Potential removal of obstacle.
Don't force experiment on to people. This should be something they choose to do. In the example of meditation, maybe someone would get more stressed out by trying out meditation in order to become more calm.
The participants write down any experiments they want to do until the next session. (Apart from that, there's no need to write anything down in the session. Again, information is rarely the problem.)
Spend a few minutes at the start of each session to look at these bullets. Add more if necessary, or clarify.
- Everyone is free to set their own boundaries and should never be pushed to go beyond them.
- The closed door: physical. Have a room where no-one can hear you.
- The closed door: digital. Shut off your mobile devices. Don't even bring them.
- The closed door: social. Don't share this outside of the session.
- Let everyone speak. If you've already given comments a few times, wait before you do it again. Others might need more time to think before they comment.
- If someone would tear up or start crying, that's not a problem. It's just water. Nothing to be scared of.
Questions? Thoughts? Feedback? Please email me at [email protected].
Read more about my work at www.lightly.io.