Peak Performance

So, here’s the ultimate growth without burnout equation: Stress + Rest = Growth.

You need to Stress yourself beyond your current capacity. But (!) not so far that you injure yourself. (Think of that rubber band we’re stretching so there’s a nice dynamic tension but not so much we snap.)

And…

We need to recover from that stress during baked in Rest phases.

Then?

Then we grow. Sustainably. Sans the burnout.

Stress + Rest = Growth

Unpacking that simple yet powerful equation is what the book is all about.

In the little prelude above I mentioned that I see this book as a sort of mashup between Anders Ericsson’s Peak (all about greatness) and Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz’s Power of Full Engagement (all about energy management).

In another one of Jim Loehr’s books called Toughness Training for Life he echoes this growth equation, telling us: “It’s important to understand that only rarely does the volume of stress defeat us; far more often the agent of defeat is insufficient capacity for recovery after the stress. Great stress simply requires great recovery. Your goal in toughness, therefore, is to be able to spike powerful waves of stress followed by equally powerful troughs of recovery. So here is an essential Toughness Training Principle:

WORK HARD. RECOVER EQUALLY HARD.

From a training perspective then, training recovery should receive as much attention as training stress. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case.”

He also puts it this way: “Stress is the stimulus for growth. Recovery is when you grow.”

So… One more time: Stress + Rest = Growth.

Now, let’s look at how to go about operationalizing that equation in our lives.

At this stage, you’re probably well aware of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and his model of Flow. (Of course, check out the Notes on that great book for a recap.)

The super short story: We feel great when we’re in flow. We get into flow when the activity we’re engaged in challenges us *just* enough—where, as Csikszentmihalyi says, our skills are properly matched with the challenge.

Too much challenge and too little skill? Enter: Anxiety.

Too little challenge and too much skill? Enter: Boredom.

Goldilocks match of challenge to skill? Enter: Flow.

(Practically speaking, if you’re feeling bored, increase the level of challenge. Anxious? Decrease the challenge a tad.)

So…

Brad and Steve give us another great way to think about how to find that sweet spot. They tell us that we want to go after “Just-manageable challenges.”

I like that. Not too easy. Not too hard. Just manageable.

We’re stretching but not snapping. We’re right at that edge where growth occurs without injury.

Steven Kotler quantifies this in The Rise of Superman. He tells us the magic stretch number is 4%: “This is why the challenge/skills ratio is so important. If we want to achieve the kinds of accelerated performance we’re seeing in action and adventure sports, then it’s 4 percent plus 4 percent plus 4 percent, day after day, week after week, months into years into careers. This is the road to real magic. Follow this path long enough, and not only does impossible becomes possible, it becomes what’s next—like eating breakfast, like another day at the office.”

Aggregate and compound those 4% just-manageable challenges over an extended period of time and what do we get? Magic. The impossible become possible. It becomes what’s next.

How can you create some more just-manageable challenges in your life?

The iPhone effect.

We’ve talked about it in a couple other contexts.

First, we know that simply having an iPhone in sight when in the presence of someone else significantly diminishes the quality of that interaction. Even if it’s off, etc. (See the Notes on Tom Rath’s Are You Fully Charged? for more on that.)

Second, we also know that using a smartphone significantly diminishes your power. All that hunching over to look at and peck on a tiny screen LITERALLY makes you less assertive. Eek. (See our Notes on Amy Cuddy’s Presence for more on that.)

Now, we know that having a smartphone in sight EVEN IF IT’S NOT YOURS (!) also diminishes the quality of your performance on tasks that require you to focus.

Strike three. The smartphones are out.

Of course, they don’t need to be completely eliminated from your life (unless you’re a deliberately contrarian type like me—hah) but we need to know that they’ve been deliberately engineered to be REALLY addictive. (If you haven’t watched the 60 Minutes special on Brain Hacking, it’s worth your time.)

So, today’s lesson: Your smartphone needs to be out of sight when you want to go deep. Note: Not in your pocket. That doesn’t work. Not in airplane mode on the corner of your desk. That doesn’t work either.

OUT OF SIGHT.

My preferred spot? Top shelf of the office closet. In the back. Super clear, bright line commitment to going deep.

What’s your preferred spot? Park your smartphone there the next time you want to go deep. Then make it a habit.

Let’s go back to our equation: Stress + Rest = Growth.

So, what’s the right ratio for us on a day-to-day basis?

Well, Brad and Steve tell us that research says it’s roughly 50 to 90 minutes. (And pretty much never longer than 2 hours.)

Two threats to the ideal rhythm?

1. You can be in a kinda-sorta-almost-really-working mode all day. Think: Flatline that leads to ennui.

2. You can be in a OMG-I’m-ALL-IN-mode all day every day. Think: Flatine line leads to burnout.

(Your tendency? Mine, as you might have guessed is #2. Laughing.)

Then we have our ideal.

50 to 90 minutes ON. And then 7 to 20 minutes OFF.

Note: When we’re off we literally want to be offline. Scrolling through news or social media isn’t the way to get a nice deep recovery wave. Going for a walk, hanging out with your family, even doing the dishes. That’s the way to recover.

And: When you’re ON, be ON. Smartphone is OUT OF SIGHT, you are in deep-focus work. Brad and Steve make the great point that if you can’t currently handle 50-90 minute bursts of deep-focus then just build up to it. Start small. Get stronger.

So… How’s your ratio looking these days?

And… What can you do to Optimize?

Brad and Steve share some fascinating stories about just how much our MINDSET matters.

They lean into Carol Dweck’s growth vs. fixed mindset (check out our Notes on Mindset + Self-Theories) and Kelly McGonigal’s great book The Upside of Stress.

The short story: What we THINK about stress matters. A lot. If we think stress is killing us? Well, then, it is. If we think stress is energizing us? Well, then it is.

Which begs the question: How do YOU think about stress?

When we see stress as a problem, everything looks like a threat to our well-being and our physiology is FUNDAMENTALLY different than when we see stress as an energizing challenge.

Get this: Researchers can actually measure the ratio of cortisol to DHEA in your system. Both are important but you want to get the ratio right.

Short story: DHEA is a neurosteroid that helps your brain grow. When you’re stressed, you want to release more DHEA than cortisol. Researchers call the ratio the “growth index of stress.” And, of course, those who view stressors as challenges not as threats, have the optimal ratio.

That’s crazy. Not stress you out (hah!) but aggregate and compound those tiny little different responses hundreds and thousands of time over an extended period of time and what do we get? Decreased performance and earlier mortality for the people who see stress as toxic.

Of course, we need to create great rest cycles. But… Let’s make sure we start with the mindset that stress is giving us the fuel to perform at our best. Then eat it like our favorite energy bar!

P.S. How about research on swimmers? “The difference was that the nonelites viewed stress as something to avoid, ignore, and try to quiet. They felt stress would hurt their performance. The elites, on the other hand, interpreted the stress and the sensations that came with it as an aid to their performance; it prepared them to get the most out of their bodies.”

The book is organized in three parts. 1: The Growth Equation + 2. Priming + 3. Purpose.

We talked about The Growth Equation: Stress + Rest = Growth. And, we talked about Priming: It’s all about creating the conditions that create peak performance.

Now: Purpose. Want to perform at your absolute best? Make it about more than just you.

The authors tell us about a guy who pulled a 3,700 pound car off a kid to save his life. And a woman who set an endurance world-record when it was all about honoring her husband.

While Angela Duckworth tells us Grit comes down to 4 things: 1. Passion+ 2. Practice + 3. Hope + 4. PURPOSE. And, we know that Heroes have strength for two.

So… Tap into the power of self-transcendence… For whom do you do what you do?

The Paradoxical Twist: “We are often at our best when we wholly immerse ourselves in the process of getting better.”

That twist goes nicely with the equally wonderful paradox that the deepest sense of ultimate contentment is next-door neighbors with the inability to be content. (Hah.)

Here’s to Optimizing your Stress + your Rest. And your Growth.