Getting out of the Rut (or Wheel)

I recently started traveling again, after COVID19.

At home for about 2 years, I used my remote control to access Netflix and enter the password. It has become second nature.

When I started to travel again recently, I accessed Netflix from my tablet and I was asked to enter the same password, BUT WAIT A MINUTE. I CANNOT REMEMBER MY PASSWORD!

Familiar?

I learnt that this is called “muscle memory” – When a movement (my fingers clicking the remote) is repeated over time, again and again – the brain creates a long-term muscle memory for that task, which eventually allows it to be performed with little to no conscious effort. This process decreases the need for attention and creates maximum efficiency within the motor and memory systems.

The same is happening to many of us at work. If we stop reviewing processes and asking questions, looking for improvements, we end up like this – e.g., the process of generating a report – is just to churn out the piece of the report for submission – like autopilot. Even the process of running a relatively complicated excel analysis can end up becoming a “muscle memory” exercise – doing it automatically, do not ask questions, or see need to change, or to improvement. The tendency when a company reaches this stage, there is a RESISTANCE TO CHANGE or do new things, or accept new ideas or challenges.

We get stuck in a rut.

The longer we stay in the rut, the harder it is to change, to improve.

Often the excuses are lack of time, pressure from bosses, “if it is working – why change”, “there is no request for change”, … etc. The list goes on and on…

The market has changed in so many ways through COVID19 and will not revert to “pre-covid”.

We all need to do every so often is to pause and ask the WHY, the HOW, and the WHAT of what we do.