Greetings ya’ll. I just finished my last final exams ever for PT school so writing has been on the back burner. But fear not, your boy is back!
The problem with optimal
Optimize: make the best or most efficient use of
Optimizing our lives sounds ideal. Why would we not want to make the most efficient use of our time or energy? Well, for one, it is impossible to be perfect, and that alone is a big enough reason to not avoid the optimization trap.
Health “hacks” have been around for a long time. What’s new is the online hustle culture that produces content about people with an incessant drive to reach the top. This has carved out a niche for “high performers” (not sure what that means exactly) to share their routines and strategies to get a step ahead in a dog-eats-dog world. This content also has a high propensity to go viral.
Online information attacks us like a swarm of wasps. We don’t have time to process one landing on us before another buzzes in our face. It consumes our attention and then we have nothing to show for it, except for a bunch of welts.
Our attention is the currency. Unfortunately, rarely do we see something that captures it long enough for us to initiate a meaningful change. I will watch something motivating, feel a blip of inspiration, then keep scrolling and forget about the video. Then I am sitting in the same spot 30 minutes later and I feel like shit thinking about everything that I should be doing.
You know the type of content: someone in a podcasting chair with orange-lens glasses and talking about cold plunges, intermittent fasting, etc. I’m sure everybody has seen some version of the following on social media:
“Optimize your morning routine”
(wake up at 5 AM, walk, meditate, cold plunge, meal prep, think, read, pray, take a big steamy dump)
What happened to a cup of coffee and a shower?
“Optimize your diet”
(now just buy AG1 and use my code! I am making a ton of money from this!)
“Optimize your workout routine”
(HIIT training is what you are missing)
A Better Framework
Enter the 80% rule. I didn’t come up with this but I like it.
The 80% rule means that you should aim for being a good boy or girl 80% of the time in a specific domain.
For example, 80% of the time you should
sleep well
move your body
eat well
Expect to be imperfect, and you will be quite satisfied. Aiming at perfection is a surefire way to hate yourself, because it is impossible. The hard part is that you need to be consistent.
This is where incorporating small changes is important. If you want to start a new workout routine, don’t try to go for an hour every day. That is too much of a change if you don’t have a routine already. Instead, think about a time during the day where you can do something small. Maybe when you have your coffee in the morning, you do a 5 minute routine of air squats and pushups. Then, you will build the habit and it will be much easier to follow.
The goal is to make these things feel automatic. Typically, you don’t have to argue with yourself to do certain tasks like brushing your teeth or taking a shower. It’s a habit, so it’s easy. Similarly, people who exercise consistently don’t have to think about exercising as much.
In James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, one thing he advocates for is tying a habit to your identity. This sounds intense, but it makes sense. For example, someone who exercise consistently identifies as someone who works out. It’s built into their life, so it’s just something they do. Similarly, you are the type of person that brushes their teeth. At least I hope so.
If your new years resolution is to exercise more, I would recommend starting with incorporating small exercise routines into your day, and starting to identify as someone who exercises. Exercise and moving your body in a way that feels good isn’t only for people who are ultra-fit or social media influencers. It’s not something that “they” do that you will never be able to achieve. You can identify as someone who works out too.
Have a damn beer
Another reason optimization sucks is that it makes people less fun. In a world where we are becoming increasingly isolated and disconnected, people aren’t going out with their friends and drinking beers in favor of optimizing their health.
Some people shouldn’t or can’t drink, or their body doesn’t tolerate it well. That’s not the point I’m making. It’s more about the trend of staying in and missing out on meaningful experiences with friends and family, regardless if alcohol is involved or not.
Obviously drinking isn’t healthy for your body, as it is a poison, buuuuuut I would argue that a night out getting pitchers with your homies can do more good for your soul that a single night of good sleep would ever do for your health. In this example, following the 80% rule, you can get good sleep the other 6 nights a week, with the added bonus of a fun night with your crew.
Recently, research has shown that the biggest predictor of lifespan is having quality relationships- with family, friends, or romantic relationships. So maybe my point is that we should put ourselves in more situations that allow us to be around the people we care about more often, it’s fun and will help you live longer!
Cheers