Have you ever wondered what led to the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Flemming or what led to the invention of the breakthrough rule of gravity by Issac Newton? Was it all sweet serendipity or a thought-through plan? 

You would be amazed to know that many of the famous inventions that changed our lives including the ones mentioned above were a result of randomness, experiments and accidents! Today, we spend so much time analysing and mapping every single second of our lives in order to be productive. But does that really help? Lack of productivity is increasing by the day and burn-out is seeping in faster than you can imagine. Under these circumstances, is it possible to remain productive? We say yes. 

Embracing chaos in life

The importance of planning shouldn’t be underestimated. It sets you on a proper direction in life, but it is also important to understand that in doing so, you are limiting your scope of adventure and learning.

“ Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all,'' said Hellen Keller and when you come to  think of it, it is true. Unless we are ready to invite in a bit of chaos and uncertainty into our lives, we aren’t opening the door to our mind’s creativity, which is the crux of every business. In order to lead a life that is fulfilling and fun, it’s important that we understand the importance of complexity of things and accept life as it evolves. Because, in life there are things you can’t always plan for.

Also read: How to foster a culture of innovation at work

Here are some important life lessons chaos teaches you::

1. Chaos teaches you to let go

As mentioned above, it is not possible for you to plan everything in life. Hence, accepting it is the best thing you can do. This in turn teaches you to let go of things. We often try to fight the chaos and in doing so have lost few crucial aspects in life such as time, peace and sanity. So, instead of focusing your energy on things you don’t have control over, invest your time and energy in doing things you can control.

2. You become a better human being

Utilise the chaos in life to learn and grow. Inviting chaos in life lets you take things as they come. Sometimes you face challenges and unexpected situations. This trains your mind to look for solutions and get past it. This is a huge life lesson and you can implement it everywhere in life including your business.

3. You become more adaptable 

You don’t know how strong you are until you face a situation that changes your life forever. As humans, we all have an inbred ability to adapt and persevere under difficult situations Hence chaos is an important element in life that teaches us the art of resilience. 

Also read: Harness the power of mindfulness to eliminate stress at work

4. You become more grateful in life

Chaos is life transforming. Sometimes harsh realities of life can make us question our entire existence and when we emerge out of it successfully, we tend to become more grateful and humble.

The 80/20 rule and how it can change your life

The  80/20 principle or Pareto Principle was suggested by management thinker Joseph M. Juran. The rule states that 80% of your outputs come from 20% of your efforts. This 20% is where the real test of your productivity lies in and understanding this rule can be life changing!

You can take examples from real life situations that very well explains this. In your business, you might be contacting a specific group of clients who you know would pay you the desired price everytime or you might be spending a small amount of money on certain specific things like paying your employees, office rent etc that pays off when you look at the bigger picture. You are retaining a viable business after all by just investing in 20%. The rest 80% takes care of itself.

Even in life, in order to remain productive, aim for that 20%. Add to it chaos and you have a healthy recipe for success.  Do things every once in a while that comes to you randomly. For example, take the weekend train to a nearby place to relax or take up a project you have long anticipated and never took up for the fear of failure.

The idea is to break the monotony of life and embrace chaos as it comes. And who knows, you could end up being the next Newton and even if not, you would know that you have led a happy rewarding life worth remembering! 

Also read: Personality at play: Does your personality impact your performance at work?

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