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Tuesday, September 30, 2003 |
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Bathroom Breaks as a Productivity Measure. I think I have an idea for the productivity gurus - the Bathroom Break Productivity Index (BBPI). That is, measuring productivity by the number of bathroom breaks an individual takes per hour. I know when I tend to get busy, really focused on a task, my bathroom break rate drops tremendously. In fact, I will defer those breaks for as long as possible in an effort to "maintain the flow". Conversely, when I am not very busy, I find myself frequently stepping away from my desk to visit the loo.
This might provide an interesting research opportunity for those of you looking for thesis ideas. I would like to get you started by suggesting two separate indecies, BBPI¹ and BBPI² to keep track of breaks. I also find when I am less busy I am prone to travel farther in looking for a restroom. Probably because I don't want anybody thinking I am going to the restroom all the time. Nevertheless, this creates an even further drop in BBPI¹. Then there are the differences in the environs themselves. I remember working in one building where I stumbled upon a very nice, but out of the way, washroom. Nice faucets (they lacked timers), nice sinks (they didn't splash back on your clothes - a dead giveaway that you've made a bathroom break), marble floors, and tissue paper that was not purchased from Home Depot's fine collection of sanding papers. Big increase in BBPI² for the few months I was in that building!
Uh oh, it looks like others may have already thought of this. Jim Beam even got in a little trouble for trying to use the bathroom break productivity index to their advantage. 12:42:47 PM 
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