Chunking

Faced with a big project or daunting task? - In this week’s blog Grouptrader’s Fiona Cole discovers how to make molehills out of mountains through chunking!

Over the past week spring has evidently been settling down to business in my garden. So at the weekend armed with my secateurs, gardening gloves and a heavy heart I stood at the edge of the patio, overwhelmed with the task at hand.  Where to start? ‘There’s just so much to do’ I inwardly wailed.  As I stood there, a pathetic soul feeling like one of the party on the boat in Katsushika Hokusai’s fabulous painting of The Great Wave off Kanagawa I was a sway away from looking up a local gardener.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai

Then I recalled a piece I had recently read about ‘Chunking’ and in particular in relation to David Blaine the American magician, illusionist and endurance artist.  For his ‘Frozen in Time’ expedition Blaine had been standing in a block of ice for 56 hours with 8 hours still to go. ‘According to Colin Robertson’s article for ‘Willpowered’ Sleep deprivation was causing Blaine to hallucinate terrifying images and characters doing unspeakable things. The unseasonably warm weather in New York had caused part of the ice to melt, resulting in a cold dripping on his neck similar to Chinese water torture’.  

So how did Blaine make it through those last hellish hours?

Well according to Colin’s article it was by using the chunking technique. ‘Chunking is the process of taking a large task, goal, dream, etc. and breaking it into manageable chunks’.  

David Blaine – Above the Below

For Blaine ‘It was impossible for him to fathom having to stand in that ice block for the equivalent time of a full working day. However, he knew that he could make it through the next two hours, so that’s what he focused on. This same method is used by long-distance runners to help them endure the long hours of exerting themselves, as well as productivity consultants to help people break their long-term goals into short-term, manageable chunks’. 

In business it is often a challenge when you are faced with a large and demanding project but by using the chunking method – you may already be doing this – small achievable goals become the target.

My goal was to get the garden looking amazing, the image was there in my mind, a surge of spring flowers the sight of which fills the soul with hope, a perfect baton relay crossover to summer planting, the birds singing through the long grasses edging the water, hot summer days, lazing on a lounger with a magazine and a cool drink with a cottage garden backdrop of impossibly gorgeous blooms and finally balmy summer nights, the air filled with the sweet smell of my climbing roses - currently in plastic bags -  filling the air with luscious aromas.

So by 'chunking' my problem I got over the near paralysis and began. I picked a small patch and focused on that one area, shifting from the larger goal into smaller chunks and progress was made.  Now I may not be David Blaine quite yet but I certainly have earned my lounger, magazine and ice cold drink – and no need to chunk relaxing.

Sources: Colin Robertson - Willpowered

www.willpowered.co/learn/chunking