Units and objectives

[This article is part of a series about how to craft an intentional life using ideas and tools from Constantin Stanislavski’s acting system for working on our inner motive forces. Previous article: Given Circumstances]


This chapter describes a tool of intellect that is crucial for us to act intentionally: breaking our goals into simpler objectives and creating units of the actions to accomplish them.

It is daunting to face a complex task. Where do you begin? How will you accomplish everything that needs to be achieved? A common problem-solving strategy is decomposition, which involves breaking complex tasks down into smaller problems or steps. This means that you are not facing an overwhelming task, but smaller, more achievable ones. Solving each smaller problem gets you closer to accomplishing the complex task; it chips away at the task to make it less overwhelming.

Units

We begin by defining units. Units are about action and progress. The simplest way to define a unit is that it is the smallest meaningful step in an action sequence. A key word here is meaningful. What is meaningful depends on context and purpose. For example, take going to bed at the end of the day. You could break this process down into many steps: undressing, putting on sleepwear, brushing teeth, brushing hair, washing face, etc. If you are trying to get a sense of how you fill your day, it might be better not to break this process down at all - going to bed is the unit. If you are trying to understand what you do as you prepare to sleep, then the process should be broken down and each thing you do is a unit.

As Stanislavski puts it: “A certain pilot was asked how he could ever remember, over a long stretch, all the minute details of a coast with its turns, shallows and reefs. He replied: ‘I am not concerned with them; I stick to the channel.’ So an actor must proceed, not by a multitude of details, but by those important units which, like signals, mark his channel and keep him in the right creative line…Unfortunately many actors dispense with this channel. They are incapable of dissecting a play and analysing it. Therefore they find themselves forced to handle a multitude of superficial, unrelated details, so many that they become confused and lose all sense of the larger whole.” (Constantin Stanislavski, An Actor Prepares)

The channel refers to the actions that are meaningful in accomplishing your overarching goal. Stanislavski points to another benefit of breaking the path to our major goals into meaningful units: it helps to focus our attention. Any complex objectives take time and effort to accomplish. We easily lose sight of our goals and the paths to get there in the many details and distractions that life throws at us. By breaking our process up into manageable steps we can connect these into a path to our larger goal and see the progress that we make towards it as each step is accomplished.

The act of breaking a process up into units ensures that when you put it all back together, the flow of actions is more clear than before. It is like creating a blueprint for your plan to reach your goal.

How to choose units

Stanislavski describes how to divide a process into units, in the context of a play:

“The technique of division is comparatively simple. You ask yourself: ‘What is the core of the play— the thing without which it cannot exist?’ Then you go over the main points without entering into detail…You have divided the play into its main organic episodes— its largest units. Now draw from each of these units its essential content and you will have the inner outline of the whole play.” (Ibid)

Consider the above actions in terms of life goals:

1. Identify a major goal or objective.
2. Plan the path that leads to the goal being achieved. Without going into detail, think of all the things that must happen to reach that goal. These are the steps to your goal.
3. Remember that a unit is the smallest meaningful bit of action you can take. So, if a step feels too large, break it down further, until you have a unit of action.

This process is not simple. How you break your goal into units depends on your perspective. Here are some tips:

• Apply the fundamental questions described in Given Circumstances to your major goal. Units of action can be located by asking Who, Where or When about your path to that goal. Why reveals objectives and can be used with How to define their related units.
• In a play, a unit is often defined by one character entering or leaving the stage. The dramatic arc of the scene will be affected by that change. Think about the people in your life and how they interact with your goal and your plan to get there. Think about the people you need to engage with to achieve what you need to do. Some of these interactions could be units.
• When the subject matter changes, units may change. If you are doing a different thing to move towards your goal, it could be a unit.
• When a character develops, units may change. When you change yourself or see a change in someone else that moves you towards your goal, it is likely to mark a unit.
• Avoid letting details misdirect you. It’s not helpful to have too many divisions, especially early on. Some changes may just be diversions in the larger current which is surging the action forward, rather than a new step in the flow of your path. You’re looking for where the entire course of the stream changes, not little kinks in the current.

Naming units

To make the progression real for you, name each unit. This will help you to visualise your path and feel the accomplishments when you achieve each one. The name for a unit can be a noun, a catchphrase, or a sentence. The important things are that it must reflect something core about the unit, and it must engage your feelings and analytical mind. It must ignite your interest in accomplishing the actions of the unit on an imaginative and visceral level. This can be simple, as in Helping my friend or complex as in Confronting my friend about our fight.

Objectives

“At the heart of every unit lies a creative objective. Each objective is an organic part of the unit or, conversely, it creates the unit which surrounds it…the objectives must form a logical and coherent stream. Given this direct, organic bond, all that has been said about units applies equally to objectives…The objective will be the light that shows the right way [through the channel].” (Ibid)

Breaking your process into units is about unlocking your goals and breaking them down, so they are simpler and easier to achieve. Each unit has its own objective at its core. You can think of an objective as a goal, a desire or a need. It is why you do what you do in the unit. You can’t act effectively unless you know what your goal is and why you want it. What do you want to achieve in this unit?

Stanislavski shows how to think about different types of objectives using the same simple unit of action: greeting someone.

“We admit three types of objectives: the external or physical, the inner or psychological, and the rudimentary psychological type…

Suppose you come into the room… and greet me, nod your head, shake my hand. That is an ordinary mechanical objective. It has nothing to do with psychology…

A different case… is holding out your hand and trying to express sentiments of love, respect, gratitude through your grasp and the look in your eye. That is how we execute an ordinary objective and yet there is a psychological element in it, so we, in our jargon, define it as a rudimentary type.

Now here is a third way. Yesterday you and I had a quarrel. I insulted you publicly. Today, when we meet, I want to go up to you and offer my hand, indicating by this gesture that I wish to apologize, admit that I was wrong and beg you to forget the incident. To stretch out my hand to my enemy of yesterday is not a simple problem. I will have to think it over carefully, go through and overcome many emotions before I can do it. That is what we call a psychological objective…

In every physical objective there is some psychology and vice versa. You cannot separate them.” (Ibid)

This description reaffirms Stanislavski’s beliefs in the importance of integrating psychology and action. Objectives are both psychological and physical. Every act has an internal reason, even if it is trivial. And internal feelings and goals have physical effects. Objectives and the actions they promote have different requirements in terms of internal preparation, will and courage.

Qualities of a good objective

“The mistake most actors make is that they think about the result instead of about the action that must prepare it…Try to avoid straining after the result. Act with truthfulness and integrity of purpose. You can develop this type of action by choosing lively objectives… We find innumerable objectives on the stage and not all of them are either necessary or good; in fact, many are harmful. An actor must learn to recognize quality, to avoid the useless, and to choose essentially right objectives.” (Ibid)

Here, Stanislavski describes the reason we need to choose and define compelling objectives for ourselves. It is too easy in life to dream about our goals and forget about the work that we usually need to do to achieve them. If we choose good objectives, then they can help us invest in the required actions.

Life is full of pitfalls and distractions, and it is easy to fall into choosing harmful or unproductive objectives instead of those that will lead us to increased ultimate fulfilment and satisfaction. For example, it is very easy to choose to finish watching this season’s popular series so you can be entertained and socially knowledgeable, instead of working on an essay for that writing competition you’ve been dreaming about, and furthering your career as a writer. If you can invest the work you need to do with desire and drive, then it is more likely to triumph over watching the series.

Stanislavski lists the qualities of a good objective. His list is intended for theatre and spurring actors to perform with a sense of truth, but the points are equally valid for helping us to choose good objectives for ourselves in life. Here, I translate his list to everyday life:

1. “They must be on our side of the footlights.” They must be about what we want to accomplish, not about what the greater world thinks is important or what those around us want for or from us.
2. They must be personally important and personally ambitious, i.e. connected to who we are now, but also looking forward to the person who has accomplished the goals we set ourselves.
3. They should embody our ideals. They must be creatively and carefully crafted to spur us towards taking action to reach our ultimate goals.
4. They should be close to reality and not overly ambitious, so that we can attain them.
5. They should be truthful so that we can believe in them and their worth.
6. “They should have the quality of attracting and moving you.” The actions we must take to reach our objectives will sometimes be difficult, unpleasant, or boring. Our objectives can help us see the worth of these actions. They should provoke our feelings and thoughts that challenge us to action.
7. They must be clear-cut and precise. If objectives are vague, they will not have the power to drive us to action. They must be SMART goals, where SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant/Realistic and Time-bound. This is a concept used in project management to define goals that will give good results. It is usefully applied to defining good objectives.
8. “They should have value and content…They must not be shallow, or skim along the surface.” If our objectives are shallow, they will not help us to achieve great things.
9. “They should be active, to push your role ahead and not let it stagnate.” Again, this references a core belief of Stanislavski, that we need action to accomplish things, rather than just talking or thinking about them.

Naming objectives

“You should not try to express the meaning of your objectives in terms of a noun. That can be used for a unit but the objective must always be a verb…This is because a noun calls forth an intellectual concept of a state of mind, a form, a phenomenon, but can only define what is presented by an image without indicating motion or action. Every objective must carry in itself the germ of action…If, instead of a noun we use a verb, let us see what happens. Just add ‘I wish’ or ‘I wish to do— so and so’.

Take the word ‘power’ as an example. Put ‘I wish’ in front of it and you have ‘I wish power’. But that is too general. If you introduce something more definitely active, state a question so that it requires an answer, it will push you to some fruitful activity to carry out that purpose. Consequently you say: ‘I wish to do so and so to obtain power.’... That is closer to action…Unfortunately it is too general and cannot be executed at once. Try sitting on this chair and wishing for power, in general. You must have something more concrete, real, nearer, more possible to do.

As you see, not any verb will do, not any word can give an impetus to full action. ‘I wish to obtain power in order to bring happiness to all humanity.’ That is a lovely phrase. But it is hard to believe in the possibility of its realization. ‘I wish to obtain power to enjoy life, to be gay, to be distinguished, to indulge my desires, to satisfy my ambition,’ That is more realistic and easier to carry out but to do it you must take a series of preparatory steps. You cannot reach such an ultimate goal at once. You will approach it gradually. Go over those steps and enumerate them. ‘I wish to appear successful and wise in business, to create confidence. I wish to earn the affection of the public, to be accounted powerful. I wish to distinguish myself, to rise in rank, to cause myself to be noticed.’” (Ibid)

Stanislavski goes into detail, with ‘power’ as an example, of how to give objectives a name that will be practical, achievable and incite you to action. When you name an objective, you need to refer to its psychological and physical characteristics. You want something, and you have to do something to get it. The best way to do this is to use verbs and make them personal. Verbs conjure up actions. So come up with a name in this form: I want to [Do Something] so that [Reason for Want]

The objective can’t be cold or general. It must be precise and emotional. The more difficult the action is, the more compelling the objective must be. What will you lose if you don’t get it? The higher the stakes the more satisfaction you gain from achieving your objective. E.g. I want to make my mother a cup of tea so that she feels welcome and comfortable is not particularly compelling, but the action is easy to perform, so it will probably be enough of an incentive. However, if you want to climb a mountain, the corresponding internal reason needs to be more compelling to encourage the action. E.g. I want to climb the mountain so that I gain fitness and spiritual peace by reaching the top. Continue to dig into the reason for accomplishing your objective until you reach an answer that feels compelling.

It can take time to find the right compelling objectives. The 5 Whys is a useful tool here. It is a tool used to find the root cause of a problem, which consists of asking Why repeatedly until you are satisfied with the answer (much like children who are not satisfied with throwaway answers from adults).

Exercise: Using objectives and units to create a plan of action

Why we do something is reflected in our objectives; these are our psychological drives. How we do something is the unit of actions that we take to achieve our objectives. Think of actions as physical manifestations of our desires. Stanislavski’s method of physical actions is about doing things. We think better and achieve our goals by acting.

This exercise shows how to use the ideas of objectives and units to create and test a practical plan for achieving a goal. The example and exercise are adapted from The Complete Stanislavski Toolkit by Bella Martin.

1. Identify a unit of action that you want to achieve, e.g. setting up a space to throw a party.
2. Identify the objective of the unit you’re exploring, e.g. I want to create an atmosphere in which I can inspire my partygoers.
3. List everything you have to do to achieve your objective in the order in which the actions should occur, e.g. I turn on the lights, I move the furniture to the edges of the room to create a dance floor, I set up a table for refreshments.
• This list must be detailed. For example, it’s not enough to say ‘I decorate the room’. You must specify what you do to decorate the room, such as blow up and attach balloons to the door.
• Each of these actions will have an associated objective. Add that in so you can think about why you are doing each action. E.g. I decorate the room by blowing up and attaching balloons to the door and putting up streamers so that my partygoers will find the space beautiful and exciting.
• This list is your plan. It is what you will work on and refine so that you are sure you can achieve your objective.
4. Test your plan by playing out the actions without words, to understand the order of actions and if they feel appropriate. This may lead you to reorganise or change some of the actions.
• In Stanislavski’s terms, this is a silent etude. It is one of the ways actors first approach the script, to gain a physical feeling for the play. Actions appeal to our emotions and muscular memory. Acting out a sequence without having to access language can provoke insights.
5. Use the Magic If on the given circumstances of your chosen unit. Ask yourself what you would do if you were in this situation, i.e. attending this party in the example.
• What would you want from the host and other guests?
• What would make this a successful party for you?
• Do the objectives for each of your actions match your overall goal?
• Modify your plan if necessary.
6. Repeat the silent etude with the results of your Magic If and earlier modifications in mind. After this, think about where you are psychologically in reference to your objective and where you still need to go.
• In our example, do you feel excited and ready for the party you are going to throw? Do your preparations feel appropriate and sufficient?
7. Every time you make modifications, run the silent etude again. Going through this series of simple, achievable actions precisely and with commitment will stimulate the psychological experience of leading up to the party.

This exercise makes your planning experiential and visceral. The process allows your actions and their effects to resonate with you. You will naturally focus more on what resonates more, which will indicate to you what is most important and meaningful to you in the process. Before you have to enact any of these actions in reality, you can gain a sense of their effectiveness and coherence, and make it more likely that they will be successful when executed.

What is the point?

Once we break our greater goals and plans down, we gain greater insight into them and control over achieving them. Once we have simple, achievable objectives, we can think about their truth. Any action we take can be held against its objective to see if it rings true in the light of our ultimate aims.

This is even the case with simple actions. The point of this exercise is to prepare ourselves with simple physical and psychological actions, to create positive conditions for the more complex physical and psychological actions we will need to take. When we feel the truth of what we are doing and experience the consequences of achieving objectives, we can stir our passions and our courage for future steps to be taken.

In the next chapter, I turn to the third motive force of Stanislavski’s triumvirate of consciousness, Will.