Medium. com/Zat Rana: The 20% Rule: Applying the Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin and Isaac Newton

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Zat Rana
Playing at the intersection of science, art, and business. I write to reduce noise. www.designluck.com. CNBC, Business Insider, World Economic Forum, etc.

Dec 7
The 20% Rule: Applying the Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin and Isaac Newton

By Zat Rana

The term Eureka was first used by the Greek mathematician Archimedes.

He was getting into a bath when he noticed that the water level rose as he entered the tub. His sudden insight being that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body that he submerged.

As it’s told, he yelled “Eureka!” twice in succession to celebrate. The word is now commonly used to acknowledge a sudden discovery or invention.

The most famous example of a situation that would warrant it would be Isaac Newton’s discovery of gravity. From what we know, in his later years, Newton would talk about how seeing an apple fall to the ground in his youth led him to ask the questions that inspired the formulation of his theory.

Similarly, the invention of penicillin by Alexander Fleming was pretty much an accident, and Louis Pasteur’s contribution to the discovery of the chicken chorea vaccine was a product of similar serendipity.

In fact, psychologist Kevin Dunbar estimates that 30% to 50% of all scientific discoveries are accidental in nature.

Benjamin Franklin, the father of electricity, was a notorious scheduler and planner of habits. Yet, in his later years, he also made room for randomness and experimentation to fuel his creativity and broaden his experiences.

In a world so consumed by mapping every minute of the day, what if the real secret to productivity and breakthroughs lie elsewhere?
The Importance of Chaos

The power of planning can’t and shouldn’t be understated. Having a strong strategic direction in whatever it is you want to accomplish is the first step in getting yourself onto the right path.

That said, if all you’re ever doing is exposing yourself to a pre-planned life, you’re also severely limiting your exposure to growth and discovery.

As author and statistician Nassim Nicholas Taleb says,

    “Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and stressors and love adventure, risk, and uncertainty.”

This applies especially to us as humans not only because randomness and chaos can lead to creative insight, but more importantly, because there are some things that we can’t understand and apply to our lives unless we experience them in select situations.

If you’re currently childless, try asking a parent how being a mother or a father changes you. They may put together a string of words, and these words may even evoke an emotion, but there is nothing someone can say to prepare you for something of that magnitude until you experience it.

Similarly, there are many things out there that you can’t plan for.
Introducing the 20% Rule

One of my favorite things in the world is serendipity. The word was initially coined by Horace Walpole in a letter to a friend, and it essentially stands for a pleasant surprise. Something random, but welcomed.

The whole idea is that it can’t be designed or planned for. That said, it is possible to nurture the conditions necessary for it to take form.

One of the things I try to do fairly regularly is to introduce an intentional disturbance into my schedule and my plans. I aim for roughly 20% of my life, whether it be measured in weeks or months, to be completely random.

Some days, this might mean taking an evening to hop on the train to the other side of the city, while other times, I’ll plan a sudden trip to somewhere.

My criteria for doing this is simple. If I’ve woken up and done the same thing for too many days in a row, I’ll let my mind wander to random possibilities that I can pursue. If I like the thought of something, and it’s feasible given the demands of my life, I go and do it.

A few ideas for things to do may include:

    Taking a weekend road trip to somewhere you’ve never been before
    Randomly exploring parts of a city you otherwise wouldn’t
    Striking up a conversation with strangers in situations that warrant it
    Trying something you’ve either feared or dismissed as “not you”

Now, I can’t promise that any of these things will suddenly change your life.

That said, on more than one occasion, I’ve found myself getting unstuck in times of confusion, I’ve learned to appreciate things I previously dismissed, and I’ve had my perspective changed in ways I otherwise wouldn’t have.

Sometimes, serendipity is more than just an unplanned gift.
The Takeaway

While researchers have known for a while that serendipitous experiences have a role to play in creative and productive insight, there is more to it, too.

Granted, the fall of that apple did quite a lot for Newton and that the experimentation Franklin engaged in helped him get more out of both his personal adventures and work projects. But these things were only possible because they were prepared for them with prior knowledge.

Planning and strategic thinking are important parts of life. That said, there are some things that just lie beyond their scope. Some experiences can’t quite be internalized until you’ve been randomly exposed to them.

While most of us would like to think that we know ourselves pretty well, the truth is that we don’t know what we want or what we like or what we enjoy until we have had a chance to actually engage in an experience.

Intellectualization can only take you so far.

Whether or not you want to dedicate 20% of your life to exploration is up to you. But there is no doubt that some exposure to disorder can lead to powerful, and sometimes even transformative, experiences.

Maybe you’re stuck. Maybe you’ve been doing the same thing for too long. Maybe it’s just time for something a little more exciting.

Whatever it is, chaos can help.
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Go to the profile of Zat Rana
Zat Rana
Medium member since May 2017

Playing at the intersection of science, art, and business. I write to reduce noise. www.designluck.com. CNBC, Business Insider, World Economic Forum, etc.
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Responses
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Go to the profile of William W Cook
William W Cook
Dec 7

Reading your article reminds me of my early desires to figure out the best way to live my Life. Nonetheless, living through a Life Of Seasons, I have come to an understanding as simple as The Ten Commandments. I have come to understand, all I need to do is “DREAM IT, KEEP BELIEVING, STAY IN FAITH, DON’T BE AFRAID!” Now go earn the skill set to make…
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Go to the profile of Callum Sharp
Callum Sharp
Dec 7

Man, that was so well written. Thanks for sharing. Consider this practice adopted in my own life.
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Go to the profile of Ravi Bhojwani
Ravi Bhojwani
Dec 7

The best article of the year. Freedom is not a detailed schedule..it’s a walk in nature with a loved one – a adaptation. Freedom to improvise and anticipate. Humans have built their own cages and in the vain if 1000 years of development and 9–5 we are not capable of listening to a machine based oracle . What you want when you want it …that’s not a…
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Go to the profile of Joachim Havloujian
Joachim Havloujian
Dec 7

If you live in a city you may have the option to get to work by different ways. One can utilize these options to create such an anomaly and experiment whether one can benefit from it. I observed this behavior of one of my coworker, and he always seemed to think in a very disruptive manner, also in a bright one. I‘m still not sure whether such chaos…
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Go to the profile of Brian van der Spuy
Brian van der Spuy
Dec 8

This same principle works very well when exploring the arts, e.g. deciding which books to take out at the library, or choosing new music to explore, or discovering new artists or genres or styles.

As the saying goes, you may know what you like, but you don’t know what you might like.
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Go to the profile of kurt gasbarra
kurt gasbarra
Dec 9
Sometimes, serendipity is more than just an unplanned gift.

Thanks. Excellent Writing!

Perhaps, thou art…

. Serendipitous
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Go to the profile of Linda Caroll
Linda Caroll
Dec 7
Intellectualization can only take you so far.

So true. We try to think our way too much but thought can only get us part of the way. Here’s an interesting one; try listening to Baroque music while writing. It makes our brain fire in a different way. Thanks, again, for what you do. :)
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Go to the profile of Brenda Ammon
Brenda Ammon
Dec 7

This is growth from vulnerability! “….on more than one occasion, I’ve found myself getting unstuck in times of confusion, I’ve learned to appreciate things I previously dismissed, and I’ve had my perspective changed in ways I otherwise wouldn’t have”.
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Go to the profile of Tanja Aebischer
Tanja Aebischer
Dec 8

Nice nice… I just heard about Benjamin Franklin while listening to Brian Tracys audiobooks. The law of attraction :)
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Go to the profile of Roy Huff ♛
Roy Huff ♛
Dec 8
fall of that apple did quite a lot for Newton

While both the shouts of Eureka and fall of the apple are subject of debate, the point you make is a good one.

Planned spontaneity and systemized creativity are excellent methods to push yourself outside your comfort zone. That’s where all the growth occurs.
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Go to the profile of Brandon Yamamoto
Brandon Yamamoto
Dec 8

Interesting…I thought “Serendipity” came from a Persian fairy-tale called The Three Princes of Serendip. These princes would always make discoveries on accident or sagacity. It was said you could not reach Serendip by setting forth to it, you set course for elsewhere and find it serendipitously. Either way, amazing read Zat!
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Go to the profile of Swaroop Kumar Pal
Swaroop Kumar Pal
Dec 8
My criteria for doing this is simple. If I’ve woken up and done the same thing for too many days in a row, I’ll let my mind wander to random possibilities that I can pursue. If I lik...

This is a really good condition to evaluate weekly, monthly and yearly. It will also be a good idea to have a relative scale of comparison for the different intervals mentioned.
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Go to the profile of Niklas Goeke
Niklas Goeke
Dec 8

I’ve been meaning to implement this for a long, long time. It happens through opportunities and chasing random projects for their fun, not monetary reward, but I’d like to plan for more chaos in my life. Ha, ha. Let’s see!
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Go to the profile of Sébastien Charland
Sébastien Charland
Dec 9
Something random, but welcomed

Best definition of Serendipity I have ever read
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Go to the profile of Nagaraja Magonahalli
Nagaraja Magonahalli
Dec 9

I have been brought up in an atmosphere of order and perfectness, perhaps this has curtailed my talent and potential to do much more innovative things in life. Now I will expose myself to strange, disorderly, chaotic situations so that deep from my mind/thought new things might emerge and give me immense pleasure
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Go to the profile of Jill Duxbury
Jill Duxbury
Dec 9

Thank you Zat, this was wonderfully written and a good start to my day.
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Go to the profile of Sarah Cy
Sarah Cy
Dec 9
I aim for roughly 20% of my life, whether it be measured in weeks or months, to be completely random.

This is an interesting idea. When I was in college, I tried doing this once, going on a “bus adventure” (I had an unlimited bus pass, so I hopped on a bus, hopped off whenever I felt like it, hopped on any other bus I could find, etc., for a few hours, and just explored the city and looked out windows)
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Go to the profile of William Johnston
William Johnston
Dec 9

Very interesting take on things. But, even more than interesting, it’s good advice. I am very curious about your clapbutton. Where can I find more info on it?
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Go to the profile of Bertrand Prenat
Bertrand Prenat
Dec 8
While most of us would like to think that we know ourselves pretty well, the truth is that we don’t know what we want or what we like or what we enjoy until we have had a chance to a...

To some extent… I don’t like cocaine 👃🏻 and I know — like everyone else — that it’s a dangerous drug. You don’t always need to try something to know that you won’t enjoy it.
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Go to the profile of Michael T Gililland
Michael T Gililland
Dec 8

Never really thought of the benefit of randomness and chaos, but hard to discount the benefits now that I reflect. Right on point. Thanks Zat
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Go to the profile of tobto
tobto
Dec 8

Not surprisingly the whole humanity is afraid of all accidental — removes random elements from automotive design, food, etiquettes, safety rules — because the incident is a danger! Everything left from everchanging nature is traffic, weather, mood, - everything else are organized into rules, rows and routines. Art saves the world, hiding the glances…
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Go to the profile of Mary Holden
Mary Holden
Dec 8

Serenity-dip-it.E.

Or, when the noise is beauty.
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Go to the profile of Don Sturgill
Don Sturgill
Dec 8

Is determining to make 20% of your day random … really random? :) Just wondering. Why not go forth and explore. 100%.
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Go to the profile of Casey Lanci
Casey Lanci
Dec 10
Striking up a conversation with strangers in situations that warrant it

I can attest to this. The benefits are enormous, especially if you’re an introvert to begin with.
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Go to the profile of Observer
Observer
Dec 9

Good post.