Should We Stop Giving 100% and Start Giving 85%?

It could help keep you more flexible and more present.

Are you giving 100% at work? Or, are you listening to your boss and giving 110%? Well, go ahead and pump the brakes. There’s an idea called the “85% rule” which says instead of giving max effort, loosen up a little and give 85% instead. That keeps you more flexible and more present, helps you be more creative and keeps you from burning out. The rule actually comes from Carl Lewis, the Olympic sprinter. He’d generally start his races slower, because he was giving 85%. Then as he cranked things up, he’d pass the other runners who were too tense and slowing down.