The Rhythm of Work

My father taught me not only the value of work, but also how to work. When I was a kid he recruited me to help a friend move to a new house. Some of the items required two men to move. My dad talked to me about moving in the same rhythm as my partner. My uncle ran a dairy farm. From him I learned about sensing the rhythms of machines.

Most of the work I do now is with my voice and my fingertips, but the ability to sense the rhythms of people and machines helps me to be productive and makes the work less stressful. It is a way of working smarter, not necessarily harder. Sensing the rhythms of people when I interview them on the phone means listening to them. I am getting better at knowing how fast or slow to read a questionnaire introduction by the way a person answers the phone. I find that telling them who I am and what I am calling about, and then pausing long enough for them to say something, goes a long way toward gaining cooperation.

Understanding the rhythms of work also means setting a pace. This usually depends on the workload for the day, but I usually start with setting a goal of making 100 calls before noon. To do this, I like to keep up a fast pace for an hour, take a short break, then get back to pounding the phone. On some projects I have to dial the phone myself, and on others the computer dials it for me. I usually need a few minutes to adapt when switching from one to the other.

When I make business to business calls I need to think about the seasonal and workday rhythms of the people I am calling. Some people like to be at their desks at 7:00 AM so that they can get things done before everyone else gets to the office and the phone starts ringing. Other people are better reached after 10:00 AM.

I think I have the rhythms of telephone interviewing down. I want to do more writing, so I am working on the rhythms of that kind of work. It is starting to look like getting some writing done is similar to accomplishing my goal of making 100 calls before noon: it’s easier if I just get the first call over with.