EOI - Extrinsic Obstacles Index

I am coining a new acronym: EOI, which stands for Extrinsic Obstacles Index.

EOI gives a ratio of extrinsic or unrelated obstacles to the total number of obstacles present between you and your objective, in a given situation, scenario or place.

EOI = extrinsic obstacles / Total number of obstacles (%)

The most convenient unit of measurement for EOI is percentage (%).


What are extrinsic obstacles?

There will be obstacles on the path to any objective. The obstacles can be classified as being intrinsic to the system and extrinsic to the system. Intrinsic obstacles are the obstacles which are a natural part of the system. Extrinsic obstacles are those which are not a natural part of the system. The extrinsic obstacles are usually introduced by some human factors, and could have been avoided. In an ideal situation, 100% of the obstacles are intrinsic. Meaning, all extrinsic obstacles have been avoided or preempted.

The following examples will make this more clear:

1. Suppose the objective is to buy and keep a basket of apples for two weeks, without access to a refrigerator. The intrinsic obstacles are the weather condition, the lack of a refrigerator, etc. Suppose the fruit seller unscrupulously added one or two bad apples into your basket. This is an extrinsic obstacle to your objective which could have been avoided.

2. Suppose the objective is to reach City B, which is 300 miles away, in 3 hours, travelling in a Lexus LS430. The natural, intrinsic obstacles to achieve this objective are the relatively large distance, the short time, the posted speed limits, the normal traffic conditions and the weather conditions along the travel route. Suppose you have a couple of passengers in your car who keep fighting and distracting you from the driving. This is an extrinsic obstacle which could have been avoided. Suppose you encounter a traffic jam on the route because some drunk driver caused an accident. This is another extrinsic obstacle which could have been avoided.

3. Suppose the objective is to hike 6 miles to climb a 3000 ft mountain in 3 hours. The intrinsic obstacles are the time, distance and steepness of the climb. The condition of the hiking trail, your fitness levels and weather are other intrinsic obstacles. Suppose you were stupid enough to carry a cell phone on the hike, and you were interrupted by calls every 30 minutes or so. The calls on the cell phone are extrinsic obstacles which could have been avoided. Suppose there were many intersecting hiking trails in the region and some vandal kids had messed up the trail signs, direction signs, etc. This is another extrinsic obstacle which could have been avoided.

4. Suppose the objective is to start and run a successful business. The intrinsic obstacles to be surmounted are the initial capital, finding a suitable location for the business, getting the right people involved as employees/partners, marketing and sales, dealing with the competition, complying by governmental regulations, etc. These are the typical challenges for any business. Extrinsic obstacles could be - corrupt government officials who are demanding huge bribes to give you certain clearances, unfair and illegal practices by the competition, bad employees who are deliberately undermining your business and creating problems for their colleagues, etc.


What is the use of EOI?

When choosing any objective and the path to take to reach that objective, we naturally try to choose the objective and path which presents the least obstacles. While doing so, it is also essential to understand the Extrinsic Obstacles Index (EOI) of the situation so that we make a choice with the least percentage of extrinsic obstacles.

By nature, intrinsic obstacles are part of the system. Usually, they cannot be avoided. They need to be tackled and dealt with. Often, intrinsic obstacles are so much a part of the system that they are not even viewed or termed as obstacles. They are simply milestones to be reached enroute to the objectives.

On the other hand, extrinsic obstacles are usually things which could be avoided. In the above examples:

1. The apples could have been inspected and the bad ones rejected at the time of buying.

2. The fighting passengers could have been dumped before starting the journey.

3. The cell phone could have been switched off before starting the hike.

4. The business could have been started in a country where the government officials are less corrupt, the judicial system is stringent enough to ensure fair competition and the prospective employee selection process could be rigorous enough to reject bad people.

The bad thing about extrinsic obstacles is that, dealing with them does not necessarily take you a step closer to the objective. It merely keeps you from regressing or going several steps backward. Switching off the cell phone does not make the hike any easier or faster, dumping fighting passengers does not make your destination any closer, an honest government official does not automatically ensure your startup will be a success. So, if the EOI of a situation is high, you might end up spending a lot of time and resources in merely ensuring that you don't go backward. If the EOI had been low, you could have used the same resources to get closer to your objective.

Another equally bad thing about extrinsic obstacles is that, they are not fun to deal with. They bring down your morale and spirit. The challenge of reaching a distant destination in a short time is fun. The challenge of hiking a steep mountain is fun. The challenge of starting and running a successful business is fun. These intrinsic challenges may be tough to deal with, but they spur you on. They are part of the game that you accepted when you signed up for the game. On the other hand, being distracted by fighting passengers on the drive, being constantly interrupted by phone calls on the hike, having to deal with corrupt officials is no fun. These factors take the joy out of the situation.

Another important thing is that, intrinsic obstacles by their nature, lead to innovations in your own field of interest. Extrinsic obstacles usually don't lead to innovations in your field. On the contrare, they take away valuable resources which could have fuelled your innovation.

For all these reasons, it is important to try and keep the EOI levels down.

Not all extrinsic obstacles can be avoided or controlled by us. The drunken driver, the vandalizing kids on the hiking trail are examples of factors not directly under our control.

This concept of the EOI can be applied to all types of situations - personal, public, professional. I hope it is of help for everyone to make better decisions and choices.

Another acronym coined by me: BQ - Bimbo Quotient.