Introduction to Entropy
Entropy is a term used to both describe and measure the increase in randomness and disorder in all systems. Whether we realise it or not, entropy impacts every aspect of our lives, from small tasks like making a sandwich or taking a shower to significant undertakings such as managing a company or planning for the future.
To understand entropy more clearly, let’s explore it through the simple example of taking a shower and observe how entropy changes throughout the water’s journey.
As water moves through the pipes, it exists in a state of low entropy—its flow is mostly ordered, maintaining a constant velocity and steady temperature. However, as the water exits the showerhead, entropy increases.
The trajectory of the water changes depending on how it interacts with our body, and its temperature fluctuates as it makes contact cooler surfaces. Some water evaporates into steam, while the rest flows down the drain, increasing randomness.
When the water enters the plughole, a degree of order is restored, and entropy decreases slightly. Depending on its journey, entropy may continue to decrease as the water undergoes treatment, or it could increase if it disperses into a larger, more chaotic system like the ocean.
Entropy naturally increases over time, as explained by the Second Law of Thermodynamics:
“The entropy of an isolated system not in equilibrium will tend to increase over time, approaching a maximum value at equilibrium.”
The only way to reduce entropy is by applying energy. However, any reduction of entropy in one area inevitably leads to an increase in another.
Entropy and Managing Productivity
Now, let’s bring this concept into the realm of productivity management.
From what we have read, we can conclude that without ongoing applied energy, any system, process, or team will eventually fall into disorder. This realisation is critical, so let’s emphasise it:
“Without ongoing applied energy, any system, process, or team will eventually succumb to disorder.”
At first glance, this statement may seem like common sense. However, if we reflect on instances where we failed to achieve desired outcomes such as when team members became disoriented due to a lack of clear direction, employees grew disgruntled due to miscommunication, or projects overran despite solid initial planning, these failures almost always stem from a lack of applied energy.
I, too, have faced such challenges in both my managerial career and personal life. Let me illustrate this with an example.
How Entropy Can Play Out in a Business Scenario
Our small-medium enterprise ended the financial year in a reasonable position. While our profit margin wasn’t as high as desired, it aligned with forecasts, and we invested in building infrastructure to grow our contract portfolio and increase turnover.
Achieving the increased turnover required to support this new structure was challenging but feasible. In adopting this structure, however, we took on additional expenses that weren’t yet covered by our income.
Confident in our ability to secure new business, we poured our efforts into acquiring contracts, and our gamble paid off. Unfortunately, in the process, we lost a significant existing client due to neglect.
This is a classic case of entropy at work. By focusing all our energy on generating new income, we allowed a key area – client retention – to fall into disorder. The loss of this client offset the gains from our new contracts, leaving us in a precarious position.
The financial and operational repercussions were significant and served as a sobering reminder of the importance of managing energy distribution effectively.
Managing Energy and Focus
We all have limited energy and focus. Research shows that humans are not effective multitaskers. Attempting to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously increases the likelihood of error.
A study titled “Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching” by Rubinstein, Meyer, and Evans highlights that task-switching carries cognitive costs. We’re far better suited to a task-cuing process, which involves focusing fully on one task before moving to the next.
This principle applies directly to productivity management. As illustrated in the business example above, mismanagement of energy and focus can lead to chaos. To be effective, task-cuing must be combined with careful planning, determining where energy should be spent and ensuring that all key areas receive attention.
Consider spinning plates: if you devote all your energy to one plate while neglecting the others, the result is inevitable—the neglected plates crash.
Where energy is not applied, disorder will ensue.
This highlights an important point: effective multitasking isn’t about doing multiple tasks at once. Instead, it’s about understanding the relationships between tasks and completing each with the others in mind.
Applying Energy Strategically
We instinctively apply this principle in everyday life. Take cleaning the house as an example: we might dust, iron, and hoover. Most of us intuitively leave hoovering until last, knowing that dusting and ironing may create mess that will need to be cleaned up.
By recognising the relationships between tasks, we can strategically allocate energy to save time and effort later. Proper preparation ensures greater efficiency and helps avoid unnecessary entropy.
Conclusion
Understanding entropy and its impact on productivity provides valuable insights for both personal and professional growth. By applying energy strategically and maintaining a clear focus on priority areas, we can prevent disorder and achieve our goals more effectively.
