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Thursday, May 19, 2011

"Chaos is Hard"

The title of this IIDA blog post caught my eye. While most of the article is about the current legal battle in Florida, the introduction stresses how smart design reduces chaos.

Maybe that was part of what drew me to design. I love to organize, I love everything in its own place, I love clear information, I love when everything functions as it should. However, my experience in the design industry so far has been far from chaos free.

I perform well under pressure. For example, these are some tough things I can handle well:
-Time constraints
-Deadlines
-Limited resources
-Learning skills quickly
-Speaking in front of a crowd
-Constructive Criticism

These, not so much:
-Mind reading
-Deciphering unclear instructions and non-existent goals
-Total recall of every number or name of every price, product or manufacturer I have inquired about or looked at in the past 8 months on half a dozen projects
-Accomplishing tasks that require knowledge, skills, instruction or information that I do not have

Yet, somehow I find that I am repeatedly asked/told to perform in this manner almost daily and then criticized when I do something incorrectly. (Oh, also, this pays me less than minimum wage for more than full time hours).

An illustration maybe?
I am not making light of these situations. I am only trying to use them as illustrations.
Pressure is like what the folks along the Mississippi River have been going through with the floods. Although potentially destructive and scary, the residents had warnings, time to collect their wits and resources for preparation before the flood waters came rushing in.
Chaos is more like the tornadoes that affected so many residents of Alabama and Georgia. The tornadoes ripped through and all the people could do was duck and cover.

Chaos freezes productivity.
Pressure, if handled well, can multiply productivity!


Chaos is hard, and I would like to find ways to minimize the chaos. Suggestions? Please leave me a comment!


DESIGN IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE CHAOS IS SO HARD.
Jules Feiffer

2 comments:

  1. I really never thought about the difference between Chaos and Pressure, and you make really good points! As far as minimizing the chaos, I would just say keep a cute little notebook and write EVERYTHING down (who you call, products you inquire about, things you specify, what you install- and for which clients) so you always look organized and calm. I can only speak to my internship (no legit design job now) but if internal and external notes on kitchen customer's orders count then maybe. :) Keep up the good job, Ginger!

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  2. Rae, Thanks so much for the encouragement. I am already a dedicated note taker (I've gone through 3 notebooks since working there!), but I know I can always do more. It really has a lot to do with how the office/work load is maintained (or NOT Maintained rather). Thanks for the advice!

    Are you design job hunting at the moment or happy where you are? If you are interested in hospitality, you should come to some of the NEWH events in town (plus I would love to hug your neck). Go here http://www.newh.org/catlistevents/2010/09/29?category_fv=82&offset=1 Also, there is a Japan relief event coming up that will have ASID, IIDA, and NEWH involvement. Here's the website www.industryunited.com

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