Polar Tales and Software Trails
In the early 1900s, nations wanted to show dominance by first reaching the South Pole. It was a race to the pole, the south pole.
Two teams took up this challenge. Robert Falcon Scott led the British team, and Roald Amundsen led the Norwegian team. In 1911, both teams started around the same time from different locations.
The British expedition leaders wanted to push as much as possible on a good weather day. So they traveled 40-50 miles in good weather conditions, but the team couldn't proceed when the weather was terrible. On the other hand, the Norwegian expedition leader decided they would cover 15 miles daily regardless of weather conditions. When the weather was good, they stopped after 15 miles and restrained themselves. They had an energy reservoir to push through the 15 miles in bad weather conditions.
When the Norwegian team was 45 miles from the final destination, the temptation would be to finish the distance in a day as they were unaware of where the British team was. Instead, they finished the journey in 3 days by following 15 miles the day rule. They had chosen pace over push and knew what was enough for them in a day.
The British team reached the destination 30 days after the Norwegian crew. Unfortunately, all the British team members died on the way back as they couldn't bear the exhaustion and extreme weather conditions; on the other hand, the Norwegian team returned safely.
When I was part of a team building a software tool that checks Code non-conformance for the Motor Industry, the team had to work an average of 12 hours, including weekends, to adhere to the strict timeline. It was manageable for a few months, but soon, the burnout started to catch up within the team. Team members began to fall sick, motivation started to drop, and in a quarter-time, a stable team began to crumble with a set of resignations followed.
Whether it's an arduous journey to the South Pole or developing a software product, knowing your limits helps.
Push will hamper progress. Pace will outcast push. Try to be more Reasonable than Rational. Rational individuals make decisions based on Excel sheets, productivity, and revenue numbers.
Reasonable people make them based on the discussion with others. People do not want a logical strategy and need a plan that maximizes how well they sleep at night.
Define enough for you.
Define enough for a day and enough for a week.
Avoid Social comparisons.
There is no need to risk what you have and what you need for what you don't have and don't need.
#stories
When others ask “What if?” I answer, “How.”
1moCannot wait! See you in September, my friend!