Why understanding these 17th Century findings matters
The chap on whom this article is based, has long been associated with the humble apple. What Sir Isaac Newton discovered over 3 centuries ago remains of huge importance today, not just to scientists, but to us all.
Comprehending how things move, whether in the human body, within organisations, or in our interactions with others, requires an understanding of motion. Without that awareness, our planning and performance of tasks may never get off the ground, or if they do, they may become prone to deficiencies or even risk coming off the rails completely.
Thankfully, Newton came up with three neat explanations on the basics of motion which can help us keep our daily activities on track. A simple way to think of these is as ‘movement’, ‘acceleration’ and ‘keeping grounded’. They can be summarised as:
- An object stays at rest unless acted on by a force and an object in motion remains in motion at a constant speed, unless acted on by a force (Movement);
- A body’s acceleration is directly proportional to and in the same direction as, the net force acting on it and is inversely proportional to its mass (Acceleration); and
- When one body exerts a force on another, the second body at the same time exerts a force equal to the magnitude and opposite to the direction of that first body (Keeping Grounded).
How we start to move and gain momentum and keep well grounded all depend on the forces that we use and those that we are subject to. Just as understanding how to start riding a bicycle and how to change speed whilst not falling off all require the correct interaction of different forces, doing our day to day jobs effectively requires the same.
Getting things moving
Inertia and procrastination are huge blocks to developing and improving as people and as businesses. We can’t start to move, progress, learn or develop without a little push in the right direction (or force as Newton puts it) that encourages us to start that process, whether that be internal or external. Once that force has been applied, we can then move forward and continue forward at a steady pace, unless we reach a stumbling block or another trigger of change comes along.
That may sound extremely simplistic, but it is surprising how often we fail to start a task or to try something new (through fear of mistakes, an unwillingness to try new things, or thinking we can never achieve our goals perhaps). However, by understanding that sometimes we need the right encouragement or support to move forward, we can take our own responsibility for seeking that and removing our inertia. Of course, some things never get off the ground through forces beyond our control, but by understanding Newton’s first law, it at least gives us the ability to find a way of moving forwards.
Similarly, when things are moving along nicely and we reach a stumbling block, understanding the thing that has caused that can help to manage that situation and get things back on track, perhaps with a gentle nudge in the right direction again.
The flip side to inertia and procrastination, is starting things too fast, applying too much force from the outset without enough thought, to try to get things achieved in an unrealistic timescale, which may end up with less than satisfying results! Being aware of that can help to plan and timetable things sensibly with more realistic goals.
Smooth acceleration or veering out of control?
We live in an ‘instant’ society, where either consciously or subconsciously, we can fall into the trap of expecting everything now (or feeling that we need to react to, or do things immediately). Newton’s age must have felt very different, with time to think and deliberate over new and revolutionary theories, free of mobile phones and e-mails!
As businesses become more reliant on technology, our expectations for the ‘instant’ are only likely to increase. However, perhaps we need to stop and appreciate that the only way of meeting the instant expectation is to rush through tasks of any real complexity in order to complete them on time (unless they are being done by a machine who can meet every and any demand perfectly!). However, we should always query whether rushing through things brings about sustainable and consistently good results, as it is bound to take it’s toll eventually.
The fewer resources that are available to complete a task and the tighter the timescale, the more likely the net force applied (or perceived to be applied) will be increased, which may result in things moving too fast and getting out of control. Quality of work may suffer in consequence and taken to an extreme,this may lead to major mistakes, disenchantment, loss of business, fatigue and potentially burn out.
Newton’s thoughts on acceleration remind us of a vital lesson here. If you try and push too hard, rather than working in an orderly, civilised manner allowing enough time to stop, think, listen and rest, whilst in the short term, that may feel sustainable, in the medium to long term, it may have extremely problematic consequences on the health of both individuals and businesses.
Are you keeping grounded?
Keeping grounded is something that we probably take for granted (as we don’t float around like spacemen because of gravity). However, as a concept, keeping well grounded is more difficult in practice, given the many opposing pressures and demands of everyday life.
There is no doubt that keeping well grounded provides for greater stability, which in turn provides a platform on which to work effectively and build healthy relationships.
Problems can arise where people lose their footing and become more forceful in the way that they work, as irrationality and unreasonableness may creep in. That may be a result of pressures that they feel that they are under, but the danger is that forcefulness may be met with an equally defensive force, which can just result in things grinding to a halt or getting out of control.
What Newton indirectly teaches here however, is that it is better to work together and combine forces equally and effectively, otherwise, the equilibrium in a good relationship may become disturbed. Also, by applying less force and being more trusting, that in turn allows others the freedom and space in which they can learn, develop and give of their best. That in turn can help to boost productivity and reduce the likelihood of stress and other health problems.
Using Newton’s laws to your advantage in daily life
Just as using the force of a whip is unlikely to bring the best out of a race horse, a lack of awareness of the laws of motion may be highly detrimental to us as individuals, to our businesses and to society as a whole.
Learning how to apply, adjust and react to our pressures and demands at the right time in a collaborative and healthy way is more likely to build, foster and maintain better health, workplaces and a society as a whole. Applying excessive force or applying the wrong force at the wrong time may have unintended consequences. Sometimes, we just need to be aware that less and slower is better.
