In school 80% is barely getting a “B”. Average, mediocre or just above it. Not really good, not really bad. “Good enough”.
In the Smart Progression Standard, 80% is the key to being able to go EVERYDAY, increasing and progressing a skill, ability or commitment over a long-period of time.
What is it?
I’ll illustrate with the example of sprinting. Outputting at 80-90% effort, the form will be precise, clean and near perfect. All the muscles and biomechanics firing correctly. Mental focus and intensity should feel under control and manageable, not “redlining” and overexerting. And the face should be nice and relaxed.
Outputting over 90%, close to 100% (total 100% is impossible) the running form will break down. Mentally trying to maintain the form will be very difficult and border on burnout. The biomechanics and muscles will not be efficient and optimized, potentially causing injury and breakdown. The face will be strained and not relaxed.
Sprinting at max velocity, for too long and too frequently will cause burnout, mental fatigue and physical breakdown. Usually within the next 24 to 48 hours, a feeling of physical lack of energy will set in, lethargy, lack of motivation, feeling lazy and even feeling discouraged and maybe mild depression. Requiring a longer recovery phase, like a full 1 or 2 days.
Anything under 80% is not much for any work or change to happen. Although, under 80% can sometimes be used as a “recovery” activity.
This concept can be applied to any skill or development progression we go through. Like working out, jogging, sports but not just physical activities, this concept can be applied to activities like creating new habits, learning, school, mental skills, job work, writing, reading, studying, etc.
The Ups & Downs
If you look back and analyze the ups and downs of committing to an activity or any form of development and self-improvement. Based on what I described, this pattern might start becoming apparent.
- Decision & Commitment
- Going hard, max effort (because that’s what we’ve been taught)
- “Grinding” through the difficulty and challenge for as long as you can.
- Needing “recovery” time due to burnout.
- Wind up quitting because it’s has become exponentially more difficult to start again.
Not only is the learning development and self-improvement actions creating fatigue but the most difficult aspect is trying to push through the mental and physical fatigue – that trying to sustain 100% effort is creating. That is, the max effort is creating additional fatigue making it increasingly harder to “push” and maintain long-term sustainability. You’re pushing a rock up a hill, while the mud gathers on the rock making it heavier and more difficult to push up.
We ignore that there is an actual mental, physical and emotional fatigue that is occurring and is just not sustainable on a daily basis over long periods. And if we can’t push through it, self-critical thoughts start to creep in, that we’re mentally weak, have no will-power, losing and will never be able to change. It’s a constant barrage of negative and self-defeating thoughts.
We’ve been taught to go max effort, 110% for an unceasing amount of time. That just is not a sustainable model, when it’s already so mentally and emotionally so difficult to make very simple habit changes. We’ve been told it’s an “all or nothing” model, and many people just decide on “nothing”.
It Scales
Scalable, in more ways than one.
You might be thinking, “80%?! That’s too easy. Anything less than 100% is selling out, not quality or leaving effort on the table. How can any real growth or change happen with the 80% Rule?”
First, let’s make an honest assessment. How many things have we done at 100% effort for more than a month, year, 5 years, day? And if you have, what was the result? What was the cost? Maybe we can imagine Olympians, pro athletes, or any other master-level expert to be giving that 100% at all times and maybe they do. But then what about the rest of “normal” people? But I’d also contend even these master-level experts are using the 80% Rule…. because it’s scales.
Percentages are relative! It’s a relative measurement. You’re total output, effort, result will increase. Repeated, sustained 80% effort will not be the same tomorrow, a week, month, year, 5 years from now. Endurance, capacity, ability, sustainability, duration, output, effort and ability to “Smart Stack” will all increase.
Meaning, your 80% today will not be the same as it was and could be through the process. Your 80% next year, can potentially be what your 90% effort and output was today. Your 80% will always be increasing, growing, progressing.
Your 80% becomes the baseline and new added progressions “stack” onto your 80% until they normalize into your “new” 80% capacity.
80% means being able to repeat the development activity and progression on a daily basis. That means 7 days a week – recovery periods, breaks, days off are not necessary. Avoiding burnout, fatigue, quitting. That means 7 daily opportunities for skill-developing repetition, habit-building foundations and Smart Stacking intellectual, physical and mental abilities.
Whether I’m working out, learning a new skill or developing a new habit, I find that consistent daily, long-term progression have had greater returns, exponentially more valuable, rewarding and powerful than short max-effort stints for maybe 3-4 times a week.
For example, when I want to build a writing habit, I’ll set an 80% Rule, either page count, time limit or fatigue level. This way I can write 7 days a week, over long sustained durations, like months and years. I’ll increase that 80% Limit when what I’ve been doing starts feeling like 70%, setting a new baseline. 70% is when it starts to feel too easy and manageable, not challenging and mundane.
80% is also relative to other people. Meaning the quality output your 80% effort could be someone else’s 90%, i.e. running, sports or other performance based competition. Being able to compete at your 80% verses someone else’s 90%+, the advantage goes to the person who can perform the same quality at just 80% effort. It leaves more room for mental focus, more upper limit for bursts of higher output and a higher capacity for sustained output and quality.
Quantity & Quality
For me being able to do my workout routine everyday is invaluable. In previous iterations of my workout approach, I’d have to take rest days or I’d be so sore I couldn’t move or do anything functional or athletic the next several days. That would mean, I was losing a day of the benefits of blood circulation, respiration, joint and muscle action, mental focus, being in a flow state.
But this would is also true in areas like writing, if I write for too long in a day or go past the point of mental exertion, it would be very difficult to write at the same quality of effort and output the next day. The quality of the output is decreasing at the expense of trying to push through the effort. I’d have to take a “rest” day and recover for the next writing session.
By using this Smart Progression approach, we can really prioritize quality. By not going beyond the effort and exertion, where form and output quality is not sacrificed. For example, sprinting at max velocity but the form mechanically suffers. Or writing beyond the mental exertion limit but the quality suffers.
At a primal, survival level it didn’t make sense to me, gazelles can’t afford to have a “rest” day. I wanted to develop my strength, mobility and endurance to a primal standard. Where I can run or exert strength at a moments notice, as opposed to not being able to do it because it’s a “recovery” day.
I just hated “rest” days. By this calculation, I was working out, writing or any other activity, maybe 3 times a week. That’s losing 3 or 4 days of additional opportunities to progress the development because of “rest” days. Whereas being able to use a Smart Progression approach, I’m able to do the activity everyday, 7 days a week. That’s double the opportunities and experience to develop the progression, learning, development, insights, strength and endurance building.
The explosive value in being able to do the development activity everyday is the constant repetition, where the abilities, skill sets and learning can take root into the reflexes, fast brain, intuition on a 24 hour sleep cycle. The learning and development becomes exponential. This is also where quality of the effort and output can really be supported, valued and emphasized.
But here’s the thing, maybe in the beginning, using the 80% rule, I’m only able to do the activity, 2 or 1 hour or maybe even just 15 minutes a day – or even 5 minutes! The miracle secret is that the length of being able to do the activity increases. Through repetition, 5 minutes becomes, 15 minutes, 15 minutes becomes 30, 30 becomes an hour… etc. But it takes time and commitment… and humility. That is, being humble to start small and manageable, and building your way up, and not starting where you think you should be.
What does 80% look like?
The 80% Rule is anything less than 80% effort (that is physical, mental, intellectual) no real change or growth will occur. It would more or less be “maintenance” or recovery.
Going over and further past 80%, physical, mental, and intellectual fatigue occurs and burnout will happen, requiring rest and recovery. Where quitting in that break because of burnout and discouragement is more likely to occur. But even at a practical level, “trying” harder doesn’t necessarily produce a better product or outcome. There is a point of diminishing returns where the outcome can actually be less quality than a more qualitative, focused and intentional effort.
80% is the sweet spot, where growth and change can flourish. The Goldilocks zone, not too easy but not too hard. 80% allows for maximum, optimal and efficient mental, physical and intellectual utilization. 80% is stopping but feeling like you can still do 20% more (i.e. effort, time, work). Leaving enough in the tank to regenerate in time to reactivate again in 18-24 hours.
110% Max effort
When is the “pro” level 110% max effort used or useful? Going 110% Max effort shouldn’t be abandoned. It is important and sometimes necessary. I’m only suggesting another way that might not fit into everyone’s lifestyle, goals or mindset.
COMPETITION – Competitions are typically based on deadlines, timeframes and seasons. Sometimes having to go for the fast gains is necessary. But most of us do not base our lives around a seasonal competition and most timeframes we set are arbitrary, we can make long-term growth and development more of a lifestyle and mindset.
MENTAL PERSEVERANCE – The biggest benefit is the mental victory of overcoming mental adversity. Building willpower, pushing through the grind of recovery, injury, mental fatigue. Pushing through when your mind is telling you it doesn’t want to do it. Surpassing the boundary of your internal limits of what you believe you can do. While these are great benefits, mental perseverance can also be accomplished through months, years of sustained daily work.
- The Art of Progression
- 80% Rule
- Snowballing Streaks
- Smart Stacking
- Success Reframe
- Strategies for Success
- The Benefits