6 ms·

When you’re actually good at something you do, dont give 100% in all the time. Get a feeling of what your clients/boss/etc. need to be happy and try to exceed i

When you’re actually good at something you do, dont give 100% in all the time. Get a feeling of what your clients/boss/etc. need to be happy and try to exceed it marginally. - Be capable of 100 in normal working hours - Be expected to deliver 70 - Deliver 80 This provides also a good buffer for errors and other unexpected stuff. And reduces stress.

j7ake 9y ago
Is this how any great scientist, athlete, artist produce their works ? I highly doubt they took your advice. If it's just about making money however, then sure that seems like a sound strategy.
- gerhardi 9y ago
  I think that trained athletes actually know better of their limits and when to not push for the maximum intensity than “regular office worker” in their corresponding field. The fatigue and risks of near future subpar performance are more concrete than with office work. Also in any field, it ofcourse requires time, work and experience to become actually good enough to give yourself some slack.
  - j7ake 9y ago
    I agree athletes train to maximise their performance on the games that matter. I'm not sure what the equivalent is for the office worker.
    - JetSpiegel 9y ago
      When the boss is watching...
- doikor 9y ago
  > Is this how any great scientist, athlete, artist produce their works ? I've never seen an athlete that goes 100% all the time your body just simply cannot take it. Hell someone who always trains at 95% multiple times a day is pretty sure to take some PEDs to help with the recovery. I know a guy who does strongman competitions for a living. He never gives his 100% outside of competitions (3 to 5 times a year) The guy sleeps like 12 hours a day minimum (~8h at night and 3 or 4 naps), spends more time eating and then training and once he is nearing competition and going for that "peak" performance for a competition training after warmups might mean doing one single rep of deadlift as the whole days routine (probably takes a good 2 or 3 days to fully recover from that with his muscles). There are just some very real limits to the endurance of a human being. (the brain is also an organ just like muscles and has limits and needs rest etc.)
- imgabe 9y ago
  Yes, actually. For athletes especially, you need to rest because that is when muscle growth occurs. Have you ever looked at a training regimen for a marathon? The longest practice run is usually 21-22 miles, not the full 26.2.
- thenomad 9y ago
  You might find looking into this question interesting. It's not universal, but a surprising number of the greats in all fields work less, not more.
gerhardi 9y ago
To explain a bit further, I feel that this approach also makes you more ready for promotions and working with new people/industries/tech. To me it seems that people who worked their ass off and received a promotion “as a reward for their hard work” seem more prone to burnout later on with more responsibilities. We can be better than that - don’t get promoted for hard work, get promoted for SMART work!
mmcconnell1618 9y ago
Scotty: Do you mind a little advice? Starfleet captains are like children. They want everything right now and they want it their way. But the secret is to give them only what they need, not what they want. La Forge: Yeah, well, I told the Captain I'd have this analysis done in an hour. Scotty: How long will it really take? La Forge: An hour! Scotty: Oh, you didn't tell him how long it would really take, did ya? La Forge: Well, of course I did. Scotty: Oh, laddie. You've got a lot to learn if you want people to think of you as a miracle worker. http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0001544/quotes http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0001544/quotes

j7ake 9y ago

Is this how any great scientist, athlete, artist produce their works ? I highly doubt they took your advice. If it's just about making money however, then sure that seems like a sound strategy.

gerhardi 9y ago
I think that trained athletes actually know better of their limits and when to not push for the maximum intensity than “regular office worker” in their corresponding field. The fatigue and risks of near future subpar performance are more concrete than with office work. Also in any field, it ofcourse requires time, work and experience to become actually good enough to give yourself some slack.
- j7ake 9y ago
  I agree athletes train to maximise their performance on the games that matter. I'm not sure what the equivalent is for the office worker.
  - JetSpiegel 9y ago
    When the boss is watching...
doikor 9y ago
> Is this how any great scientist, athlete, artist produce their works ? I've never seen an athlete that goes 100% all the time your body just simply cannot take it. Hell someone who always trains at 95% multiple times a day is pretty sure to take some PEDs to help with the recovery. I know a guy who does strongman competitions for a living. He never gives his 100% outside of competitions (3 to 5 times a year) The guy sleeps like 12 hours a day minimum (~8h at night and 3 or 4 naps), spends more time eating and then training and once he is nearing competition and going for that "peak" performance for a competition training after warmups might mean doing one single rep of deadlift as the whole days routine (probably takes a good 2 or 3 days to fully recover from that with his muscles). There are just some very real limits to the endurance of a human being. (the brain is also an organ just like muscles and has limits and needs rest etc.)
imgabe 9y ago
Yes, actually. For athletes especially, you need to rest because that is when muscle growth occurs. Have you ever looked at a training regimen for a marathon? The longest practice run is usually 21-22 miles, not the full 26.2.
thenomad 9y ago
You might find looking into this question interesting. It's not universal, but a surprising number of the greats in all fields work less, not more.

gerhardi 9y ago

To explain a bit further, I feel that this approach also makes you more ready for promotions and working with new people/industries/tech. To me it seems that people who worked their ass off and received a promotion “as a reward for their hard work” seem more prone to burnout later on with more responsibilities. We can be better than that - don’t get promoted for hard work, get promoted for SMART work!

mmcconnell1618 9y ago

Scotty: Do you mind a little advice? Starfleet captains are like children. They want everything right now and they want it their way. But the secret is to give them only what they need, not what they want. La Forge: Yeah, well, I told the Captain I'd have this analysis done in an hour. Scotty: How long will it really take? La Forge: An hour! Scotty: Oh, you didn't tell him how long it would really take, did ya? La Forge: Well, of course I did. Scotty: Oh, laddie. You've got a lot to learn if you want people to think of you as a miracle worker. http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0001544/quotes http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0001544/quotes