Optimal vs Sustainable
These last few weeks I have found myself pretty overloaded with life. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it feels like every spare second I have is packed with a never ending list of tasks, planning and activities. Part of this is self-inflicted, which is why I don't go hunting for sympathy, but it is also part of the reason why it’s not necessarily a bad thing for me at the moment. A large percentage of the tasks I am doing are my personal choices of going to the gym, running, planning for the future and trying to do the odd bit of writing.
Unfortunately, I have the type of personality that means I cannot really sit still, and I like to do as much as I can. The downside to this is that I am often spreading myself too thin across a broad spectrum of energy-consuming tasks, and so I have to be very careful to ensure the most important aspects of my life, i.e. relationships, work, health, don't fall short. Yet on the flip side, I do actually enjoy being busy and fitting these tasks in, so long as I am sensible and not pushing things too much.
Despite this enjoyment, some of these tasks end up falling short in the ‘quality’ department. What I mean by that is because I am trying to juggle quite a bit, I often am unable to complete tasks or activities to the highest level i.e. ‘optimally’. For example, I will often squeeze in a 10 minute clean of my flat that gets 60% of the work done, but it really could do with a good 45 minute clean at times to get the full 100% done. Or perhaps when I am going for a run, I cannot run as far or as fast as I would like to because I am short on time, or energy, or normally both.
Now some may argue that I am a fool for completing tasks so incompletely, and if “you're not going to do it properly, then why do it at all”. Of course these are valid arguments, but ultimately this balance is one that works best for me. I prefer to operate on a model of sustainability rather than acting ‘optimally’. That is, I like being able to consistently perform a range of tasks, even if they are not up to the highest standard, because this then allows me to ‘keep going'.
Of course there is this obscene pressure to be the best amongst all age groups which is no doubt having an impact here. I can't say this is exclusive to my generation as the pressure to perform and achieve has been around for far longer than I. Perhaps the age of social media and Instagram influencers has sped this up or intensified it slightly, but the underpinnings are nothing new. Many who deem themselves ‘successful’, and perhaps particularly those who like to brag about it online, will die on the hill of needing to ‘perform at the highest level'. That is, if you want to be successful, you must do everything right. There is no room for failure, and while these people may not always write it out word for word, there is a hidden theme in the air that anything less than 100% success is somehow failure.
On the occasions where I have tried to focus on completing my tasks ‘optimally’ rather than sustainably, I find I burn out rapidly and I can never get through all of the tasks or activities I want to. It's not exactly rocket science - working at a harder level generally means you cannot perform for a long amount of time. Sprinters can run incredibly fast but only at top speed for no more than 200m. Powerlifters can lift extremely heavy weights but not for high repetitions.
What bothers me about the high flying ‘successful’ influencers online is their smoke and mirrors. They show how they work ‘optimally’ on their tasks and explain that this is why they are successful. But I can almost guarantee that there is only a handful of tasks they can work ‘optimally’ at, and even fewer that they are able to do so on a consistent basis. For every successful business person who has created a multi-million company are 10 other examples of those who have lost aspects of their life because they are working optimally. For example, pouring your time and energy into a business largely means you have less time and effort for relationships. Or if you are somehow able to sustain working optimally for your business and maintain your relationships, there a very good chance they don't have any time to exercise.
There will of course be the anomalies in our society who are able to juggle many tasks and hobbies at an ‘optimal’ level, but I would still argue that they have definite periods of being sub-optimal or have to drop a task. However this is not a bad thing. There is no shame or negativity in not being able to work ‘optimally’ all the time. Largely speaking because it is just not feasible.
For example, I'm sure many have heard or seen discussions about Mark Wahlberg’s infamous daily routine. Supposedly he would wake around 2-3am, have a cold shower, go to the gym for a few hours, plan out his day, spend time with his family and then go to work on his big Hollywood movie, although I'm sure I haven’t got all of the details accurate there. Upon hearing this, your standard Joe Bloggs might begin to feel inadequate because they cannot match Mark Wahlberg’s routine. How is he able to work optimally every day, but you struggle to wake up at 8am on a Monday morning?
Part of the answer here is everything he doesn't have to do. He doesn't have to clean his muggy flat twice a week because he has cleaners to do his whole house. He doesn't have to drive 30 minutes to Aldi because it's the only supermarket he can afford, as he will have live-in chefs. He doesn't have to stress about sending a request to book time off work for the dentist as there is no such thing as annual leave in his work. Now the easy argument here is he has worked hard to become an actor and therefore we deserves the benefits that come. But this premise is the same for a range of different careers, and anyone who tells you they are able to do everything ‘optimally’, consistently, while having to deal with the things that ‘normal’ people need to, is lying.
My overarching point here is that there is nothing wrong with working sub-optimally, and I would argue that working with the idea of sustainability can work better. I have been much happier as a person, and arguably got more done using this model. I find working sustainably means I am less bothered about the argument of success vs failure, and I can just focus on turning up. I don't push myself to be at my absolute peak with everything, I just make sure I do what I can within my capacity at that time. Ultimately this leads to me placing far less pressure on myself which makes me a happier person. And as this is more of an enjoyable model, I am able to continue this for most weeks and accrue consistent effort into something I can be proud of.
I feel if we aim to move our way of working away from optimal or maximal or whatever adjective you want to use, and more towards sustainable or even kind of accepting, we can be happier and more at peace.