21 May 2006
Confession III, Chronic Polychron
I can fully understand why some people get frustrated with me and my sometimes overly-flexible and seemingly uncommitting nature, especially because I also dabble on the other end of the spectrum with my neurosis. I would like for them to understand me better. And similarly, I would like to understand them better. I am speaking of the 'chronic' wars, a struggling battle between two sets of people who have completely opposite ways of functioning. I am a polychron. I almost always do lots of things at once. But I would like to try to be very deliberate in performing a task that I usually combine with others to gain a different perspective of time. I don't know if this is possible, but would be interested in experimenting. I guess I'll have to start by not juggling while blogging.
I studied a bit of this in a class, but did a quick Internet search out of curiosity after having not read anything about polychrons in a while. Here's what I found which I thought interesting:
... a white paper that proposed the following hypothesis surrounding polychrons:
Persons who are more polychronic (Polychrons) would be expected to be more likely to:
a.) reschedule activities in response to demands;
b.) think of other things while doing something;
c.) combine routine tasks to free time for important tasks;
d.) have a flexible schedule; that is, not planning exactly when to do each thing;
e.) want to do several things at a time; i.e., not consider it to be fun to do one thing at a time;
f.) break projects into parts; and
g.) often change from one activity to another during the day.
Also,
Perception of Time & Priorities: Polychronic vs. Monochronic (from hackvan.com)
Monochronic People
Do one thing at a time
Concentrate on the job
Take time commitments (deadlines, schedules) seriously
Are low-context and need information
Are committed to the job
Adhere religiously to plans
Are concerned about not disturbing others; follow rules of privacy and consideration
Show great respect for private property; seldom borrow or lend
Emphasize promptness
Are accustomed to short-term relationships
Polychronic People
Do many things at once
Are highly distractible and subject to interruptions
Consider time commitments an objective to be achieved, if possible
Are high-context and already have information
Are committed to people and human relationships
Change plans often and easily
Are more concerned with those who are closely related (family, friends, close business associates) than with privacy
Borrow and lend things often and easily
Base promptness on the relationship
Have strong tendency to build lifetime relationships
I studied a bit of this in a class, but did a quick Internet search out of curiosity after having not read anything about polychrons in a while. Here's what I found which I thought interesting:
... a white paper that proposed the following hypothesis surrounding polychrons:
Persons who are more polychronic (Polychrons) would be expected to be more likely to:
a.) reschedule activities in response to demands;
b.) think of other things while doing something;
c.) combine routine tasks to free time for important tasks;
d.) have a flexible schedule; that is, not planning exactly when to do each thing;
e.) want to do several things at a time; i.e., not consider it to be fun to do one thing at a time;
f.) break projects into parts; and
g.) often change from one activity to another during the day.
Also,
Perception of Time & Priorities: Polychronic vs. Monochronic (from hackvan.com)
Monochronic People
Do one thing at a time
Concentrate on the job
Take time commitments (deadlines, schedules) seriously
Are low-context and need information
Are committed to the job
Adhere religiously to plans
Are concerned about not disturbing others; follow rules of privacy and consideration
Show great respect for private property; seldom borrow or lend
Emphasize promptness
Are accustomed to short-term relationships
Polychronic People
Do many things at once
Are highly distractible and subject to interruptions
Consider time commitments an objective to be achieved, if possible
Are high-context and already have information
Are committed to people and human relationships
Change plans often and easily
Are more concerned with those who are closely related (family, friends, close business associates) than with privacy
Borrow and lend things often and easily
Base promptness on the relationship
Have strong tendency to build lifetime relationships
