The Channel Paradox

One way to beat stress at work, i've realized, is to shut down that day and take the next day easy. Then work your way up the list of pending gigs from the bottom - the easier ones first - the messier ones last. This way, when you've done about a dozen emails over half a day - you feel a lot lighter and de-stressed.

I'l be sort of in stealth-mode at work tomorrow, taking out a few pending gigs from my to-do list. I'l probably be in stealth mode all of this week, in fact.

In fact, i have a theory on this too. Here goes:

The amount of stress you endure at work is related to your mental bandwidth. The more your perceived mental width, the more channels* of work you take on. The more the number of channels, the probability** of encountering trouble in atleast one of the channels increases. In fact the value approaches 1 when the number of channels one works on is more than 2 or 3.

(* Dimensions = channels, in bandwidth parlance - if you get what im saying)

** Probability of occurrence of either A or B, as we all know is ADDITIVE - higher than either just A or just B. If A, B becomes A,B,C,D,E..etc. the probability of either A or B or C or D or E nears one, i.e a definite event)

This brings us to the crux of this theory - tentatively named  - 'The channel paradox' - where the ideal scenario is for an individual to have as many channels working as possible and a nearly stress-free life (or a near zero stress value, which can be directly correlated to the above probability discussed).

The paradox here is that practical considerations will almost all the time lead to a scenario where - more the number of operational channels, higher the value of trouble probability in atleast one of the channels and thusly, a poor stress score.

P.S - Heres some corollary i'd have written up back in the old days. 

If a guy can play the guitar like John Mayer, Speak with an accent as sexy as Javier Bardem's, look like Mark Wahlberg and write like Stephen Leacock's step brother - he'll probably be as strung as him and most definitely will need to be locked up in a nuthouse with multiple keepers with submachine guns guarding him. 

P.S 2 - I know that the whole thing is majorly *Yawn* inducing. I'l let it stay though - will be the only thing i'l write up for quite some time.