Devised by Dr Peter Nixon, the Human Function Curve shows the relationship between pressure and performance. If there’s minimal pressure, we don’t perform; we’re just bored and understimulated.With a little more pressure, we enter our Comfort Zone. Although, as the name suggests, this feels nice, researchers won’t find new ideas by staying here too long. As the pressure mounts, we enter the Stretch Zone. This is where we want to be most of the time: it’s the sweet spot between pressure and performance.
But, if pressure keeps ramping up, we can progress to the Strain Zone. While the stretch feels good, strain doesn’t. Strain can result in injuries. If we’re not careful, at this point we can enter what Nixon calls the Fantasy Zone where we start telling ourselves unhelpful stories. For instance, “I’m feeling exhausted, but I really need to stay on top of this project. If I get up at 5am tomorrow, I can keep to schedule,” or, “I’ll work every weekend for the next three months.”
Although, we imagine this is a good solution, in the real world our performance is actually dipping: we’re experiencing fatigue, we’re feeling anxious all the time, we keep getting ill. And we can also enter a vicious circle: the quality of our work suffers, so we have to work longer to fix the mistakes.
The signs of strain will be different for everybody, but it’s important to try and tune into what you might be experiencing. Also, listen to what stories you’re telling yourselves about those feelings. Resist the temptation is to keep pushing forward as hard as possible. Instead, pause to consider whether this is the best way to proceed. Are there alternatives that would be less exhausting? Ask yourself:
- Is there an easier way to do this?
- Am I making it too complicated?
- Do I need to complete this task at all?
- Can I negotiate a longer deadline?
- Could somebody help me with it?
If you’re working with others, you can also start to recognise when they might be entering the Strain Zone. This is an area where we can all help each other: sometimes we just need permission to step back and and prioritise our wellbeing. We are not machines, so we can’t simply get more processing power and keep going. As a human, you need proper opportunities for rest and recovery, not just an occasional reboot. Keep stretching, but watch out for that strain.
This content is adapted from my workshop on Saying No: Establishing Healthy Boundaries in Academia.