Today I learned I practice Masterly Inactivity and not Procrastination.
For years people have described me as procrastinating; they have asked me why my inbox has a thousand unanswered messages; I have felt guilty that somehow I was not ‘on top of things.’ I have always felt derelict about how I operate. Thanks to a recent podcast by Tim Hartford titled ‘Masterly Inactivity Versus Micromanaging,’ I now have a framework to describe how I handle life.
If you have a moment, take time to listen to what he describes and the situations that resonate. Wiktionary (1) defines the term as ‘Masterly Inactivity: A policy of deliberate inactivity, carried out through diplomatic kill, so as to preserve a predominant influence without risking anything.’
While that definition is concise, it doesn’t capture the full nuances of my approach, and I certainly am taking a risk. We all take risks daily, especially when waiting for something to happen.
In researching for this blog, I also came across the phrase ‘Watchful Waiting.’ Defined in (2) as ‘Watchful Waiting: a policy of taking no immediate action with respect to a situation or course of events but of following its development intently.’ This definition resonates far better with me.
In the medical domain, the concept of Masterly Inactivity or Watchful Waiting is well documented and forms a foundation for treating specific conditions (3).
All of this doesn’t excuse me for leaving the pile of washing in the hamper or putting off ordering that Mother’s Day gift but, it does give me a framework to build on for the rest of my life, especially in my work. Mostly though, it gives me a way to describe how I behave.
Let me share a recent example; A colleague copied me on an email to one of my team members describing how they had not communicated their asks promptly to other teams. The tone of this email was accusatorial and suggested that this should have happened during planning in the prior year! I was frustrated, and had I not taken a moment of pause could have sent back an epistle defending my team member.
Had I done so, this would likely have escalated the situation. I received several DMs from other senior people asking me what is going on and why this is happening. I waited. Some side conversations ensued, and I spoke to my team, asking them for a situation report. Many emails flew by. It became rapidly apparent that this was primarily a misunderstanding, and the ask was at most a trivial one. My lead penned a reply which I looked over; we tweaked some minor details. Emails crossed, as they tend to do, and, low and behold, the person who sent the original email ended up saying essentially the same thing. We all ‘high fived’ and agreed that we were doing the right thing.
Now imagine how that same situation would have escalated had I immediately jumped in. I didn’t have the complete information, just that I had gleaned from a cursory read of an email chain. I was not aware of the conversations that had happened. Had I responded, chances are it would have resulted in a series of heated meetings where the two teams defended their ground. I would, at some point, have to call the other manager and apologize / smooth over the water. I’m sure we would have ended in the same place; we are, after all, part of the same larger team but, what a waste of time and stress that would have been! Instead, I was able to delete the entire email thread without ever writing one word.
I encourage you to reflect on what others are doing and consider taking a strategy of ‘Masterly Inactivity’ or ‘Watchful Waiting.’ Try it a few times; you will be surprised how much in life resolves itself. When you have to step in, do so with knowledge and make those times count. At the very least, your stress levels will thank you for it.
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For another perspective, you can read the ebook by Charlotte Mason; she advocates this principle in bringing up children. I love her description: ‘wise and purposeful letting alone.’
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