Architecture Room > Emergent Hierarchies > 1: Overcoming Your Inertia > Performance Centres

Performance via a Tree of PH-L1 Centres

Framework

This Tree guides you in overcoming your inertia so as to stop avoidance and use time well in response to feeling it is impossible to get anything done.

This account is not a full exploration of psychosocial issues. It's purpose is to demonstrate that THEE is a model whose exploration generates findings that did not go into its construction. The specific aim is to scientifically validate conjectures developed in relation to the reversal of the oscillating duality and the identification of Root Level pressures of presumed biological origin. See more here.

Approach to Exposition:Closed  The Tree emerged fully developed and so the usual logical methods of exposition are not appropriate. See more here.

Note: The key Performance level in this emergent framework appears to be KL3: Tactical Objectives because tasks must have been previously too demanding and lengthy. Tasks therefore need adjusting to become acceptable. It may help to read this part first.

The Tree Spine

Seek Guidance at KL7 by Respecting Stimuli
Take Heart at KL4 by Feeling Good about Trying
Find Energy at KL2 by Relying on Sensations
Make It Happen is at KL1 by Activating Movement.

From top to bottom there is a concrete and practical approach. In the spine, the two extreme Centres seem externally oriented: at the top (KL7) you make yourself dependent, at the bottom (KL1) you make yourself self-reliant. The other two Centres seem internally oriented: the upper (KL4) provides a continuity, the lower (KL2) provides an adaptability.

In this central spine, the yourself v your situation duality is fused.

ClosedMore about the Balanced Centres & Vertical Channels in the Spine

In these balanced Centres, whatever works for you has to apply simultaneously for relevant others and/or the situation:

The three vertical Channels show a progression from doubt through to certainty:

KL7B KL4BRespect for specified stimuli-KL7B challenges whether you are genuinely trying-KL4B; and your readiness to try challenges you to respect those stimuli.

KL4B KL2B: Your trying-KL4B energizes the sensations-KL2B that you experience when confronted with the relevant task; and the sensations before and after action energize trying.

KL2B KL1B:  The sensations-KL2B relevant to the issue confirm that the time for some physical action-KL1B has arrived, and your movements confirm an appeal to sensations has succeeded.

KL7: Seek Guidance Performance via Selflessness

KL7B: Respect Stimuli (PH5-L1)

Stimuli are the biological foundation for the transmission of meaning. The stimuli specifically relevant to overcoming inertia are a matter for your choosing. So they can vary greatly. They may be something you create (e.g. setting an alarm) or they may exist in the environment and be used for this purpose (e.g. the sound of church bells). The main factor is their distinctiveness and capacity to remind you in a very specific way. Your could use a timer to prevent dithering—but only if you respect it and decide one way or another the moment the buzzer sounds. Pieces of coloured paper with instructions are stimuli that convey useful messages: but such notes get lost if they are not respected.

ClosedMore on Stimuli

ClosedPerformance and Selflessness

Respect for stimuli focuses variations-KL6Y to your daily routines and enables you to create minor adjustments-KL6S to externals that waste time or otherwise impinge on performance. Stimuli set up a challenge to your willingness to try-KL4B.

KL4: Take Heart Performance via Well-being

KL4B: Feel Good about Trying (PH7-L1)

The likelihood of overcoming avoidance, especially if long-standing, is zero unless you seriously try. There is a limit to self-coercion. You must feel good about making a start. However, there is no action too small to show yourself and others that you intend to make progress. Trying is a heartfelt statement to yourself and relevant others that you are indeed taking the particular activity or goal seriously as a valued or necessary aspect of your life. So trying should enhance well-being: if it doesn't, then something is wrong with your perspective and you should seriously re-consider the goal, your methods or the larger context.

ClosedWhat about Failure?

ClosedMore on Trying and Well-being

Trying becomes committed through the new habits-KL6Y you impose on yourself, and gets support from adjustments to routines-KL6S. Keeping trying gets credibility from your support for short easy tasks-KL3S, and is incentivized by rewarding yourself-KL3Y for these mini-achievements. If you are genuinely trying, observations of process-KL5S get accepted even if disappointing or shocking. Trying also ensures that you become realistic in your observations of yourself-KL5Y. As noted above, trying challenges the respect for stimuli-KL2B and energizes your appeal to sensations-KL2B.

KL2: Find Energy  Performance via Certainty

KL2B: Rely on Sensations (PH4-L1)

Sensations are the characteristic form of experience that you can rely on for guidance as to the moment in time that action is needed. As well as heralding avoidance, sensations also provide certainty by indicating successful action. The prior sensation is usually unpleasant (disgust, tiredness, pain, irritation, fullness, confusion) while the subsequent sensation is usually pleasant (relief, tingling, exhilaration, comfort, clear-headedness).

ClosedMore on Sensation with Examples

The relevant sensations confirm the physical actions-KL1B taken. They should also be used to reaffirm that you deserve those rewards-KL3Y, and to align with those easier shorter tasks-KL3S. Sensations energize you to keep on trying-KL4B.

KL1: Make It Happen Performance via Performance

KL1B: Activate Movement (PH1-L1)

Physical actions take place in time and space, and being concrete you can rely on their completion in the time allocated. The performance pressure is handled because the time to fulfil primarily manual tasks (e.g. file a pile of correspondence) or physical demands (e.g. remove old boxes from the attic and take them to the dump) or pursue a goal (e.g practice the guitar) is either pre-determined or can be specified without any problem. Because simple movements produce a completion, they can be channeled into easier shorter tasks-KL3S and used to constrain the required rewards-KL3Y.

The key mechanism here is momentum, a feature of performing and, in this context, the opposite of inertia (although identical in physics!). Once momentum develops, habits tend to be reinforced. and the routine activity comes under control, or that optional goal gets pursued naturally. Without movement, there can be no momentum.
Note that this is the performance element (PH-L1) at the performance level (KL1) in the Tree.

The Bi-Polar Levels

The other three levels—KL6, KL5, KL3—have two Centres each: these must take heed of each other and connect to the Centres on the spine.

KL6: Establish Your Position  Performance via Autonomy

KL6: Enable Variations (PH3-L1)

Time is critical and the problematic activities are not the central issues in your life. So the degree of change to be introduced into your life needs to be minimal and practical. However limited, the adjustments are significant and their introduction depends on your autonomy. Changes that you impose on yourself-KL6Y relate to performing efficiently and these need to become habits. Changes that you create in your situation-KL6S should support trying by addressing schedules and routines. The two sorts of changes should mesh and reinforce: i.e. show reciprocity.

KL5: Clarify Your Thinking Performance via Understanding

KL5: Clarify Observations-(PH2-L1)

Something strange has been going on: you have not been doing what you say you want to do or you have been avoiding things that you know are absolutely necessary. So it is vital that you understand what is going on as you resolve the impasse and failure. You must observe carefully both yourself and the relevant process and externals in real time, making a point of noting down observations relating both to success and failure. There should be a natural complementarity between what you discover about yourself and about the situation.

KL3: Why You Persevere  Performance via Acceptability

KL3: Promote Tactical Objectives (PH6-L1)

Tactical objectives (or tactics) are pure means i.e. steps towards an outcome that counts. These purposes define necessary small tasks that should always carry an explicit deadline for completion to ensure performance. The aim here is to help you stop avoiding tasks. You must have avoided them because they lacked acceptability in some way. So overcoming inertia depends largely on ensuring their acceptability now. You can make relevant useful tasks acceptable by making them easier. The shorter the task duration, the simpler the work, the easier its completion, and the quicker the feedback on your effectiveness. Creating micro-goals enables mini-victories which produce an intrinsic pleasure (probably dopamine or endorphin release). But you need bigger rewards than that, so you must further increase acceptability by arranging for self-gratification. Linkage is essential: employing any useful tactic must take into consideration the need for organizing gratification, and vice versa.


Initially posted: 21-Aug-2013. Last amended: 18-Jan-2015




All material here is in a draft form. There will be errors and omissions. Nothing should be copied or distributed without express permission. Thank you.Copyright © Warren Kinston 2009-2018. All Rights Reserved.


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