People always talk about giving 110%, especially in sports, even though that’s impossible. In reality, a footballer doesn’t even give 100%, because they’re not constantly sprinting throughout the match. And there’s a reason for that, and that’s what the 85% rule is here to explain.
What Is The 85% Rule?
The 85% rule started out as a psychological concept that was conceived within the sport and fitness industry (Heffernan, 2022). The 85% rule states that striving for the maximum 100% effort often backfires. This is because working at our max high-intensity creates a downward spiral of making mistakes, fatigue, and burnout (McKeown, 2023).
This is why in the 2026 World Cup, the footballers weren’t sprinting the whole match. Peak performance is managing our energy and knowing when to use it, rather than using it at full tilt the whole time.
Carl Lewis, the nine-time Olympic gold medallist, is known for operating at the 85% rule of effort the whole time, according to Heffernan (2022), for this very reason. Working at about 85% capacity yields optimal performance, and it’s even been shown to benefit us with regard to learning.
According to Wilson, Shenhav, Straccia, and Cohen (2019), they found that the maximum difficulty of training should be at 85%. It doesn’t matter if this is learning a new language, learning to play a new instrument, or being taught in school. 85% difficulty was the sweet spot across the board. It helped maintain motivation while avoiding boredom.
The Benefits Of The 85% Rule Over Giving 100%
Reduces tension
Pushing at absolute maximum capacity creates physical and mental strain, which leads to tighter muscles, higher stress, and poor focus. Think of a sports car going at its maximum speed constantly every time it’s used, and see those repair bills piling up.
Improves form
Operating slightly below our limit lets us pay attention to our technique, rhythm, and quality of work. This helps avoid mistakes that come with pushing ourselves to our limit (McKeown, 2023).
Aids cognitive growth
As reported by Wilson, Shenhav, Straccia, and Cohen (2019), optimal learning happens at an 85% difficulty or success rate, meaning we need a small margin of error to grow without getting overwhelmed.
Avoids burnout
There’s a reason no one sprints a marathon. Giving 100% effort all the time can lead to burnout and increase employee dissatisfaction, employee turnover, and sick leave. Following the 85% rule means there’s always more fuel in the tank when needed, giving us breathing space for when something unexpected happens, while also keeping us at our most productive.
Long-term results
When it comes to results, following the 85% rule produces better outcomes (McKeown, 2023). This is in every area of life. For example, managers who use the 85% rule create a high-performing team that is far less likely to burn out, and thus increase employee retention and contentment.
How To Apply The 85% Rule
For these reasons and more, the 85% rule is the gold standard, inside and outside of sport, because of the diminishing returns that come with pushing past that (Heffernan, 2022). So it’s important to figure out how we can embrace the 85% rule so we can improve our quality of life.
Pace our tasks
Not everything is a race, unless we’re in an actual race. Stop trying to rush everything. There will always be more work to do. Instead, focus on a steady, calm intensity, so we can avoid making mistakes (Heffernan, 2022), avoid burnout, and still maintain productivity.
Leave a reserve
Much like with spoon theory, we all have a limit. Keeping a little energy in reserve rather than draining our tank helps prevent feelings of exhaustion (McKeown, 2023). When we go to work every day, for the majority of our lives, having energy in reserve is important. If we’re just shattered every day, our quality of life is going to suffer.
Accept good enough
The most important productivity concept we can learn in life is to accept that good enough is good enough. Not everything needs to be done to a perfect level. Let go of rigid perfectionism so we can sustain our output over a long period, and avoid burnout.
Breaks
Reflect on the idea that often it’s better to leave a bit of room for rest and recovery, because it can actually improve the quality of our work. Adopting the Animedoro or the Pomodoro method can help with this. Also, make sure to always use our annual leave. It’s there for a reason.
Review expectations
Review our workloads and our to-do lists, and see if we’ve got too much on our plates, and thus have unrealistic expectations. Because when they’re unrealistic, when (not if) we fail to meet those impossible expectations, it’ll erode our wellbeing, our sense of self, and our motivation.
Setting ourselves realistic and achievable goals makes a huge difference, as those goals being met will give us a sense of achievement. When it comes to our workload, talking to our manager will hopefully lead to workload adjustments if we’re working in a healthy work environment.
Summary
The 85% rule isn’t about being lazy or slacking off. It’s about finding a balance that allows us to be productive, efficient, and aids in maintaining our wellbeing. By using the 85% rule, we’re engaging in personal sustainability. Thus, we promote a more sustainable approach to work and life, allowing for better balance and long-term productivity. And in turn, we can lead by example to those around us, and for our children.
As always, leave your feedback in the comments section below. Also, please share your experiences with giving 85% and 100% in the comments section below as well. Don’t forget, if you want to stay up-to-date with my blog, you can sign up for my newsletter below. Alternatively, click the red bell icon in the bottom right corner to get push notifications for new articles.
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References
Heffernan, D. (2022, December 1). The 85% Rule – How to Manage Effort and Motivation Levels to Optimise Performance in the Workplace. The Survey Initiative. Retrieved from https://surveyinitiative.co.uk/the-85-rule.
McKeown, G. (2023, June 8). To build a top performing team, ask for 85% effort. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2023/06/to-build-a-top-performing-team-ask-for-85-effort.
Wilson, R. C., Shenhav, A., Straccia, M., & Cohen, J. D. (2019). The eighty five percent rule for optimal learning. Nature Communications, 10(1), 4646. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12552-4.pdf.