I don’t know much about traffic-light timing. However, I suspect that a mischievous traffic-flow designer might be having fun at the expense of lead-footed drivers in my fair city.
On one particular stretch of road, the timing of the lights and the inevitable consequences of hastily accelerating and exceeding the speed limit between any two given traffic lights seems way too predictable to be a coincidence.
No matter how fast you accelerate after a light turns green, you will not make it to the next light before it turns red. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a devious traffic-flow designer sitting near an intersection at noon, eating lunch out of a paper bag and chuckling at the fools who attempt to challenge the precisely coordinated traffic lights.
On this particular road, the lights are spaced just far enough apart to encourage unsuspecting drivers to go for it and try to make the next light before it turns red. Apparently the traffic-flow designer uses the same mathematics to synchronize the traffic lights on this stretch of road that statisticians use to stack the odds in favor of the house in casinos. Gamblers and speeding citizens are no match for these mathematically gifted designers. When I first moved to the area, I soon recognized the working of an evil mind after a few jerky trips down this road.
I fully admit that what I am about to tell you is totally inappropriate behavior. Sometimes when I find myself on this road stopped at a traffic light next to a driver, I lightly release my brakes and “inadvertently” inch forward a few times while waiting for the light to turn green. The instant the light turns green, the other driver occasionally rockets forward and the traffic-light game is on! After watching my competitor rocket forward, I slowly drive away from the traffic light and accelerate smoothly. There’s no hurry. Mathematics, timing and the devious mind of the traffic-flow designer are on my side.
At the next intersection, I pull up beside rocket-man and repeat the process. It usually takes my unsuspecting opponent several traffic lights to figure out what I am doing. At this point, I designate myself the winner of the traffic-light game.
The other player has burned more gas, worn out more tires and brake pads, and put much more wear and tear on his or her vehicle. I, on the other hand, have made just as much forward progress without the accompanying frustration. It is the traffic version of the classic tortoise and the hare story.
I tell you this story because I believe the same dynamics exist in the workplace. It almost never pays to get in a hurry. You typically do your best work and suffer the least wear and tear when you pace yourself reasonably.
Look around. How many people play the workplace equivalent of the traffic-light game every day? Stop playing and you will probably get just as much, or perhaps more, done.
Article by Chris Crouch from Memphis Daily News.
Smart Stuff 4 Work is written by Chris Crouch. Chris has spent years researching and studying both the mental and physical aspects of being productive and is the author of several books on the topic including Getting More Done
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