Relax for the Same Result (2015)
a month ago
- #mindfulness
- #productivity
- #life-lessons
- The author used to bike a 15-mile loop in Santa Monica at full speed, finishing exhausted in about 43 minutes.
- After months, the author tried biking the same distance at a relaxed pace (50% effort) and enjoyed the experience, noticing dolphins and a pelican.
- Despite the relaxed pace, the ride only took 45 minutes—just 2 minutes longer than the exhausting full-speed rides.
- This revealed that pushing to the limit only provided a 4% time improvement, while a relaxed approach achieved 96% of the results with far less stress.
- The author now applies this lesson to other areas of life, dialing back effort by 50% and finding tasks still get done just as well with less exhaustion.