How to Properly Use the 85% Rule
Why Giving 100% Actually Works Against You
High achievers understand that becoming great at your craft doesn’t happen by accident. It requires time, consistency, hard work, and dedication. To perform at your best you need physical, emotional, and mental strength.
However, high performers are not always giving 100% of their time, energy, effort, and attention to their craft. Instead, they are roughly giving about 85%.
“The less tension and effort, the faster and more powerful you will be” — Bruce Lee
Optimal Performance
In sport, athletes are expected to put it all out there on the field to win the game. I cringe when a coach demands his team to give 110%. Not only is it mathematically impossible, gritting your teeth to give all that you can actually hurts your ability to perform well.
High performers experience a unique paradox. For example, an elite athlete must be both alert but physically relaxed, she must be intense but controlled, and her movements need to be strong but smooth. In order to perform at her best there is a necessary balance.
The performance paradox is not limited to sport. It can be seen in creation of art, in business presentations, and in the act of closing a big deal.
The first time I came across the idea of 100% of effort hindering performance was in the book Mind Gym. Bud Winters, one of America’s most successful track and field coaches instructed his athletes to run 800 meters as fast as they could. Later, he had the athletes run the same distance, only at 90% of top speed. The surprising result was that the running times were better at 90% effort than when the athletes went all out.
The physiological explanation is that our voluntary muscles are organized into opposing pairs. Running and other athletic movements are performed most effectively when some muscles are contracting, and others are relaxing. But when athletes are giving 100%, all of their muscles are contracting, the accelerating muscles and the breaking muscles are at odds.
Over trying leads to underperforming.
I recently came across this idea again from The Tim Ferriss Show in which Hugh Jackman was interviewed. In discussion of his physical preparation for his acting roles, Jackman mentions how he pre-designs his days and workouts. He highlights the importance of relaxation in doing movements to yield the best results.
“If you tell most, sort of, 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
Again, this illustrates the idea that there is a required amount of relaxation for our bodies to perform at their best. Over tightening muscles to produce power actually creates a loss of power and accuracy. Giving too much effort is often counterproductive. There is also the case that intentionally giving 85 to 90% may increase your chances of entering a flow state.
Flow
Flow is defined as “the positive mental state of being completely absorbed, focused, and involved in your activities at a certain point in time, as well as deriving enjoyment from being engaged in that activity.”
Flow state is thought of as the feeling of being in the zone. Where your perception of time slows down, and the person feels one with their task. People are more likely to enter a flow state when the challenge of the task is balanced with the individual’s competency.
Some of the most historic athletic performances occurred when the athlete experienced flow.
It is a widely held opinion that the experience of flow assisted Michael Jordan in his outstanding performance in the “Flu Game.” Groups like athletes, creatives, musicians, and artists all have reported that experiencing flow improves their output.
Often when I am writing or creating, I feel in flow. I am able to come up with new ideas, put together articles and blog posts quickly, and feel all-around productive. Time does not seem to be an issue and distractions cannot take away from my work. Unfortunately, my dog is not always the biggest fan as his walks sometimes get delayed.
Flow is so valuable that high performers create routines and intentional thought patterns to increase their chances of entering a flow state. Giving roughly 85% effort may allow for an individual to enter flow more easily. The challenge of the task and the individual’s skills find balance to enter flow.
How to Properly Give 85%
In the same way you create stress and tension you can also create relaxation. The purpose of practicing relaxation is to understand and recognize the early warning signs of tension then act accordingly to replace them with sensations of relaxation.
Another paradox is that physical relaxation can be induced through intentionally tightening the muscles slightly more. This should not be done to the point where you experience any type of pain.
Muscle Relaxation
For example, like a lot of folks, I carry tension and stress in my neck and shoulders. When I notice that my muscles are tense, I tighten those same muscles slightly more for a hold of five to ten seconds and then release. I pay attention to the feeling of stress and then release and relax the muscles entirely.
Mind and Body Relaxation
An additional strategy is squared breathing. This can be adapted to fit your personal style, but it is most commonly done in sets of four seconds. I would begin this breathing exercise by inhaling for four seconds, holding for four seconds, exhaling for four seconds, holding for four seconds, and repeating. I like to imagine following the outline of a square as I complete each hold.
This exercise relaxes the body by slowing down your heart rate and releasing tension in your muscles. It also quiets the mind by giving you a set structure to focus on. This exercise will help with increasing your ability to relax.
If you can relax your body, you can relax your mind. Set yourself up for your best performance through the 85% rule.
Thanks for reading! I am a Certified Mental Performance Coach. I currently have a few select spots open for coaching. Set up a free 15 minute phone consultation with me by sending me a message here!
