The Choke Effect

I heard an interesting radio programme called In Design about the Choke Effect. There was discussion about underground stations in America and how the designers realised that there were different locations where crowds and groups of people would congregate. A ‘choking effect’ was happening within the rabbit warrens that make up larger stations. If we think about this practically, these groups could turn into areas where problems of rubbish, loitering and petty theft could increase, not to mention the inherent safety risk of large groups of undirected people.

The solution to these problems was found in signage. If people knew where they were going clearly then they would keep moving.

I have a model called the 3Cs. I believe to get in to the activated part of our flow, the deep and powerful part, we need just three things. The beauty of this model is that you already follow it in areas important to you; I’m not teaching you anything you don’t already know. I just feel this model is a simple way to help guide and support us in any moment to achieve the best outcome.

Confidence: Part of the source of being in flow is believing in ourselves. I believe in the art of goal setting and I love planning, however I feel that if we create these plans and set goals, we are helpless if we don’t believe we can achieve them. We can build our inner confidence by reflecting on how far we’ve come in life and what we have learned. Re-membering and valuing our natural talents and giving feeling good about ourselves for who exactly who we are is very powerful. But sometimes you might forget that. I believe that the flames of inner confidence are fanned by inspiration so if you know what to do, there are ways to bring that out. External confidence is also important and there are simple steps to follow to build your ability to connect with others.

Clear direction: This is where the Choke Effect comes in. Not knowing where we’re going is like trying to come back from somewhere we’ve never been. If we don’t have a clear indication of the next few steps we can loiter and start filling our time with lower priority items. This is fine at times, but having a clear direction has an empowering effect.

Communication: In our station analogy, this is simply to get to where we want to go we may have to navigate around people and objects and our interaction with these is what steers us. 

If you want that to change something, simply give it focus and attention and consider the next 3 steps you could take towards achieving it.

Where are you choked in life and what are you going to do about it?