An Example from the British Army!

I was recently talking to a friend about overwork within our organisation. Being interested in history he shared an interesting piece of information, unfortunately he could not remember the source. Apparently, one of the tactics used by the British army during war, is the practice of restricting officers on the “frontline”, under intense stress, to periods of duty no longer than three months. After a three month command, Officers are removed to a less stressful position and replaced. This is done as prolonged exposure to the stresses and strains of the frontline causes Officers to become more defensive, less likely to engage the enemy and less proactive. Resulting in the British army performing better than other countries where their officers were exposed to prolonged stress on the frontline.

The point I would like to make is this, what if we adopted a similar tactic in the management of our personal lives? After being expose to stressful situations for a period of three months we take a weeks vacation. Would this improve our personal efficiency and effectiveness? What do you think?

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Tagged as: Getting Things Done