Ever take a stroll with a friend who walks a little faster or slower than you normally would alone? Your stride will invariably take on their pace and rhythm to keep pace.
It's this same act of taking on the same energy and patterns of people around us that is the foundation of something called, The Hawthorne Affect.
I'd like to talk about what it is briefly and illustrate a few ways where it can be used effectively to boost your productivity.
The Origin of the Hawthorne Affect
The term Hawthorne Affect was coined back in 1958 by a researcher named Henry Landsberger. Hawthorne Works, which was an electric company based in Chicago, commissioned an experiment to see if their workers would be more productive under higher or lower levels of light.
Although this particular research was the basis of the study, what they found about the habits of productivity were quite interesting.
To read more about the Hawthorne Affect check out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect
The Compound Effect
It turns out seemingly insignificant adjustments like clearing floors of debris, switching around workstations, or maintaining clean work areas all served to boost company productivity.
How Can We Apply it to Our Daily Lives
I mentioned in a previous blog post that a recent study revealed those who write down their goals are 39% more likely to achieve them. That number jumps to nearly 75% when you have an accountability partner. Once you've made the proclamation that you plan on doing something to another person you will move mountains to get it done.
Those who write down their goals are 39% more likely to achieve them. That number jumps to nearly 75% when you have an accountability partner.
This study beautiful illustrates the power of accountability. Serial entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author Gary Vaynerchuk elaborated in a recent interview on the value of looking outside one self in order to achieve greater results.
"You know what really sealed the deal for me? Getting healthier. I was 38 years old and it didn't come naturally to me. I hate the gym. I hate it now. I don't like it. I don't want to do it. But I knew it was important...I've won and I'll never lose again. The system was, I needed to be accountable to another human being. I'm doing it almost weirdly more to not let them down. So I feel like there's a shift that can make people work harder."
Coffee with a Friend
If you want to apply the Hawthorne Affect right now, do what learning expert and keynote Jim Kwik suggests.
He'll often ask a very focused and productive friend out to a coffee shop when he needs to get some work done. He'll take on the energy of his friend and put an equal amount of heightened focus, time, and effort into what he's doing in an attempt to mirror their effort.
As a result, he gets more done in less time.
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