“That’s total bullshit”, I thought as I heard him say it.
“He’s just plucked that number out of his arse…”.
I can’t remember who I was listening to at the time, but it was definitely one of those ex-Marines, SAS, CSI, C&A type fellas.
Let’s call him Jocko Goggins.
Even though I don’t remember WHO it was, I remember WHAT they were saying…
“When you think you can’t give anymore… you’re probably at 40% of your maximum – you still got 60% left in the tank.”
It sounded like complete B.S. to me – the kind of nonsense a motivational speaker would throw out, without offering any qualifying evidence or argument.
Turns out though…
… they might be right.
I’ve started to notice something recently at work.
When my mind is absolutely tanked from writing and coming up with ideas…
… when I think I’ve reached the point where I can’t come up with any more emails, hooks or angles for clients…
If I get a ding in Basecamp, asking for just one more…
I can ALWAYS do it.
(After I’ve grunted, huffed and puffed, moaned and stomped around for a bit, obvs)
Not once have I been so drained mentally that I’ve not been able to do it.
Here’s another weird thing…
The ideas I get when I think I’m tapped out?
Some of the best ones I have.
Go figure!
Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time you give it.
Want a job to take a day? It’ll take a day.
Want it to take an hour? It’ll take an hour.
I think we should create a new law, in honour of David Willink, or whatever his name was…
“Your level of creativity expands according to the number of tasks you give it”
… or something.
It’s one of the reasons I’ve shifted to 5x emails – to get better at this craft, I need to stretch myself.
Turns out the tough guy was bang on – sometimes we don’t know our own limits and we should definitely be pushing ourselves more.
Not because it’s “productive”, or because we can earn more money, but because it’s really bloody empowering to realise how awesome and powerful we are from time to time!
Hope that’s useful,
John