Better results; less effort. A simple idea from the world of sprinting.
Look. We all know what’s going on by now, right?
We’re working our bags off with the hope of — what, even? Being internet-famous? Having that article take off on Medium? Impressing the boss, our friends or — good Lord — our parents?
Being happy?
Think about it. Some of the hottest words in the millennial lexicon right now, and for good reason, are: burnout, overwork, productivity, productivity trap, self-work, improvement, and efficiency.
A little contradictory, right? We’ve become exceedingly aware that many of us, in one way or another, been sold a bill of goods when it comes to the whole work-your-ass-off-and-you’ll-be-happy-and-successful idea (great book on this.) Simultaneously, we millennials still realize that now more than ever you can’t really be lazy if you want to achieve anything — and since achievement is, in fact, a significant predictor of happiness, as Jason Gutierrez just pointed out, we are faced with this question:
How can I get a healthy handle on working hard and getting things done, both for my own happiness as well as for my career, without hurtling myself into a pit of despair, a whirlwind of anxiety, an early grave, or a life that feels like one?
Let’s start here:
Take your foot off of the gas. Not all the way. Just get that pedal off of the floor. There you go, lunatic.
Like Tim Denning, I listen to a lot of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast. I find it a great way to high-grade potent thoughts and ideas from interesting people who have done excelled in their field over years. His books, Tribe of Mentors and Tools of Titans are even better for this than the pods. It’s like cherry-picking insight after insight, so many of which can help guide you to different ways of organizing your days, aiming your ambition, or moving towards what we’re talking about here: achievement and happiness.
Among the best ideas I’ve heard, during Tim’s interview with Hugh Jackman, was the concept of The 85% Rule.
The 85% Rule essentially states that full-exertion is not optimal for performance, whether we’re talking about physical or mental exertion. In the gym, on the job, or at your computer — maxing out means only one thing: tension, stress, over-exertion and impending burnout. None of these things lead to the kind of quality production over a period of time as a steady, relaxed, enjoying-the-moment 85% effort will.
“That’s why you see every sprinter poking their tongue out now and dancing around with joy before they run the hundred meters… that sense of having the right level of relaxation… if you tell most A-type athletes to run at their 85 percent capacity, they will run faster than if you tell them to run 100 because it’s more about relaxation and form and optimizing the muscles in the right way.” — Hugh Jackman, The Tim Ferriss Show, ep. 444.
The idea came from someone who had been studying the famous US sprinter, Carl Lewis, and who noticed that even though Lewis was consistently behind the pack in the first 40 meters of the race, by the end, he was 10 meters ahead.
The key thing about Lewis through the race? Not one thing changed. His pace, his face, his stride, everything — even, smooth and consistent. While the other sprinters were gritting their teeth and clenching their fists, draining the tank and actually slowing down by the end of the race, Lewis, at a sanguine 85%, was gliding past them.
“Slow down a bit. 85 percent.”
I’ve been saying that to myself quietly for years now, as someone who was, and at times still is, deep in the clutches of the bust-your-ass-all day-every-day mindset. There are few things that help me more when I’m feeling that sense of overwhelm coming as I push to complete the day’s to-do list. It’s meditative. It reminds me to take a breath and downshift a gear. You’ll still be going fast, just not out of control.
“Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.”
It’s a famed Navy SEALS adage that seems counter-intuitive, but it’s true. It can be applied to almost anything. Work, exercise, even social interactions. Who doesn’t love that person who takes his or her time a little bit more? Who doesn’t seem rushed like everyone else? Who thoughtfully takes a moment to respond to a question? It’s admirable. There’s a strength and presence to it. Compare that to the thought of someone frantically trying to do, answer or produce as quickly as they can, tripping over their feet or words trying to impress with speed rather than quality, and in doing so, producing neither.
Stop trying to go so goddamned fast, and you actually will. You also won’t deplete your day’s worth of energy in the process. You’ll have gas left to do other things you want to that day. It’s much easier, and effective, to go from 85% effort through your workday into 85% effort for your evening workout. 95% on one end will lead to 50% or lower on the other, not to mention feeling exhausted the next morning.
Speaking of mornings — I’d like you to picture one, if you would.
An arid landscape. It’s already hot, even at sunrise. A wiry Japanese man stands in a wheat field, holding a scythe. This is Yuki — a man my dad lived and worked with while at an Israeli kibbutz in the late 1960s.
The scythe hisses through the wheat as Yuki moves behind it — easy, but intentional. Neither hurried nor lazy. Like the rhythm of breathing you find in the axis of a runner’s high. Calm and steady. Focused on nothing more than the present moment, and maybe nothing at all.
Hiss. Hiss. Hiss.
This was Yuki. The way my dad described him painted this small force of nature. Focused energy. Never over-exerting. Always a little smile. Going through his day with this grace.
“No wasted motion.” That was the term my dad used to describe him. Whether it was cutting wheat, the way he simply walked, or how he sent Yves, an annoying, burly drunkard who threatened Yuki one too many times, sailing through the door of his bunkhouse and into the dirt one evening. No wasted motion.
A cool, steady 85%. No wasted motion. See what happens.
