A colleague once said to me, "what people do not realize is that they could expend 50% of their usual effort and still be just a competent, maybe more so, in what they do." This suggests that there is some optimal expenditure of energy that necessary for our best work. Anything beyond that may contribute little to the final outcome and may actually increase the likelihood of errors as we try a little too hard.

" A  M I N D  T O O  A C T I V E
I S  N O  M I N D
A T  A L L "
Theodore Roethke









" I N  E V E R Y T H I N G
T H E  M I D D L E  R O A D
I S  B E S T "
Plautus









" P U T T I N G  O F F  A N
E A S Y  T H I N G
M A K E S  I T  H A R D ,
A N D  P U T T I N G  O F F
A  H A R D  O N E
M A K E S  I T
I M P O S S I B L E "
George Lorimer

What are the reasons for making things effortful? Here are some that come to mind for me. I have assumed that work completed with great effort is of greater value than work completed easily. Here is the trap. I can diminish any accomplishment that I do easily. I can also diminish my own competence if I have to work hard at accomplishing something. The task should be easy for me if I am competent, but if it is easy for me, I may not value it. So importance assigned does not need to be in direct proportion to the amount of effort expended nor does amount of effort reflect level of competence.

Working hard has also been a hedge for me against "failure". I have had many experiences of picturing in my mind exactly how an accomplishment will look upon completion. I made every effort to ensure that the work went according to plan. Of course, as I experiment with less effort, I find that the outcome is usually quite different and more pleasing than the one I had in mind. I make creative decisions about the work "in the moment" rather than distracting myself with my own intensity.

I have assumed that if I want to get something done quickly, I will have to work extra hard on it. However, I notice that when I approach a task with a relaxed attitude, I am in a better position to survey what needs to be done and, ironically, I do it more efficiently. This approach has been helpful to me as a buffer against feeling "overwhelmed" by a multitude of responsibilities and thinking that I will have to work hard on all of them.

I think I have also associated hard work with virtue. Others might interpret my working easy as laziness or not being responsible. It has taken me some time to grasp the concept of "less is more" and to see the ability to apply that principle as a valuable asset. It first hit home for me when I ran a marathon. I trained and trained with the goal of finishing below the three-hour barrier. By race day I felt like I had already run a marathon. I watched runners who were slower than me and who had trained half as much pass me on their way to a sub three-hour finish as I struggled just to finish the race.

As I ride my recumbent bicycle in the Edmonton river valley these days, I am often stopped by other cyclists and asked about my bike. They want to know how it is on steep hills, or how fast can I go or do I get a really strenuous workout on it? I usually just smile and say that it is so comfortable and such a joy to ride that I hardly feel like making myself sweat. That is kind of how I want to look at my work and life. Do I really need to sweat?