Some thoughts on Cognitive Load post #FailoverConf

Assumption here coming from @jpaulreed’s talk indicating “we’re probably all doing some form of [thoroughness tradeoff] right now” due to the background Cognitive Load caused by COVID.

1/I’ll let you know when it's done

The implication here being that we’re all overloaded. And the 4 ways we deal with overload are:

-shed load
-sacrifice thoroughness
-shift work in time
-Recruit Resource

Assuming you can’t just drop stuff, you’re probably being less careful and thorough as a default. 2/x

The other conjecture that “Shed Load” and “Sacrifice Thoroughness” are tactical (self-affecting) decisions and “shifting work” and “recruiting resources” tend to have an org impact and are more strategic.

3/?

But I think there’s some additional choices we’re making that I hadn’t initially considered AND I think those choices are unhealthy in the long term. 4/?

They’re a sort of “afterburner” option. You can’t do it all the time, or you run out of fuel, but you can do it once in a while to boost performance as needed in the short term. (did I do the plane metaphor correctly?) 5/?

Anyway, what are they?

Well the Overload options tend to assume a single context of where work gets done. But, we’ve just suddenly slammed our work lives into our home lives giving additional tactical choices:

6/?

Instead of dropping work tasks, I can choose not to shower and get extra time. Or I can shift work in time, by working 12 hours today instead of a normal 8 or even probably a more reasonable 6-7 given the circumstances.

If I just don’t take a lunch I can still get it done. 7/?

We’re calling in our home-self as an extra resource, but not necessarily counting the cost that we’re inacting on Home Self.

I can work 16 hour days to get as much done as I used to, but I’m definitely going to be miserable and fall apart within a week or two. 8/?

So I guess what I’m saying is:

ICs— Ask for the time off that you need and work with your manager to reset expectations on how much you can get done in a given day. It is OK to feel unproductive. Your new success is a non-zero day: Just get one thing done at least. 9/?

Management— Hear your employees and do some self reflection. We are all being overburdened JUST with the news. And then we still have work and deadlines. People will throw themselves unhealthily into work to try and feel productive and to try to get back to normal… 10/?

…Make it explicitly clear that this is not normal. It is OK not to be OK. It is OK to have a day where you Just. Can’t.

Reset deadlines and expectations. Assume 50% capacity at best and go from there.

Stop people from burying themselves with work. 11/?

Employers— Be abundantly clear about your mental health care packages. Encourage use. As Leadership teams, honestly, maybe talk about going to therapy yourself or how you had to just talk to someone the other day to deal with it all. Set the example. 12/?

If you don’t provide some sort of mental health coverage, consider offering one of the online options like BetterHelp or Talkspace or see if your healthcare provider offers something.
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13/?

Many at least have EAP programs that can help. Have a Workshop/Lunch & Learn/Whatever on how to make use of it, post the slides in a public announcement portal, pin it to slack.

Don’t make mandatory fun meetings and try to make everyone happy. Let us be angry and sad 14/?

My point to all this is: be careful about how you or your employees or both are borrowing resources from your Home-Self which feels a lot like your Work-Self but has a distinctly different job.

15/?

Home-Self is helping you cope with a global pandemic. This is important work. Do not sacrifice this time. If you absolutely need some of it RIGHT NOW, make sure you take it back later on and take time off.

I love you. Be safe out there. We’re all in this together. 16/16