I found myself in need of a pep talk this week and I thought I'd give us both one.
Today, I want to remind you NOT to "give it your all". Seriously. Don't give 100%. Don't even give 50%. Give it like, TEN percent. At the most.
So often we’re sent the message that progress can only come from suffering - especially when it comes to creativity. Nothing could be further from the truth - and constantly overexerting yourself will only serve to keep you from seeing the path forward clearly.
Some of the best inventions came from people who were trying to save themselves the effort. Save themselves the effort of washing dishes. Save themselves the effort of counting with an abacus. Save themselves the effort of carrying heavy objects up flights of stairs.
It has never been about how hard you work or how much you sweat. Value is valuable; "Effort" has no meaning. The Emmys jury doesn't ask you to supply your timesheet when they are deliberating over the award. You need to cut the crap (morally speaking) - and give yourself, and everyone else, permission to stop f*ckn trying so hard.
Here's why putting in only 10% serves you:
After putting in 10% you have an ugly, rough thing that you aren't emotionally attached to. Which is fantastic. It can serve as a litmus test for whether or not your concept has legs. Is it on the right track? Put in another 10%. Or abandon it if it failed, happy in the knowledge you only invested 10% of your precious time, sanity and energy to get that knowledge.
Shout it from the rooftops EVERY TIME you get 100% the right answer with only having invested 10% of your effort and a fractional amount of the company’s money.