does this sound familiar, ? does this sound familiar?

I'm the type of person who needs either zero Krispy Kreme donuts, or I need to eat 6 of them. There's not really an in between. And depending on the day, I might choose either one of those options, but I know zero is the best choice for me 90% of the time.

This habit extends to my work too. Getting completely absorbed in a design project, staying up late coding, or recording hundreds of videos. It’s a vicious cycle of going all out. Sprinting with an intense burst of energy that's not sustainable.

This pattern of burning the candle at both ends quite often leads me to a state of burnout. For me, this usually spirals into guilt and mental self-flagellation, which then results in even less productive days and even more guilt. You can see the negative spiral forming...

Can you relate?

High-intensity, all-out efforts would ideally be saved for those rare, metaphorical 'race days' and not be the everyday norm. There's just no way to sustain this type of effort. I do know however that everyone's threshold for sustained intensity is different and understanding a respecting your own personal limit is necessary.

Occasional indulgences can and should be a healthy part of life and I'd never want to completely cut these off, but I'd much rather enjoy them in a way the complements the larger vision of life.

Think about how Olympic athletes train. They don't push to their max every single day. At that level they can't afford to get injured and miss a week or more of training. Even world record sprinters mix up their routines with different training intensities not exclusively sprinting.

My main point here is optimizing for personal sustainability.

There's always an element of 'slow and steady' in their regimen. And if that phrases puts you off, what about 'steadfast and consistent'?

I've discovered that they 'steadfast and consistent' approach in areas like running and strength training it's not just more sustainable, it's more enjoyable in the long run.

This philosophy isn’t about avoiding effort, but rather pacing it. For example, training in Zone 2 heart rate feels comically slow, but it’s surprisingly effective. I'm much more likely to continue consistent running when I haven't absolutely destroyed myself for the week by trying to hit a new PR every time I run.

I’m now trying to apply this to other areas of life. Going to bed at a reasonable time, stopping work before I'm absolutely drained, sticking to a project even when it isn't "fun" per se or doesn’t have the allure of some new shiny object. Most of my career has been going into full-throttle mode with work, that ultimately leads to crashes and unnecessary time off.

I'm not saying it's been all bad either. I've had an extremely fulfilling career despite these patterns. I just know that what got me here, won't get me there.

Sprinting has it's place and I will absolutely continue to mix it in with my routines, but I'm focusing on shifting away from the cycle of intense peaks of productivity followed by a huge dip, then another sharp spike, followed by exhaustion, regret, which paves the way for guilt, inaction, and shame.

This "new" steadfast and consistent approach, similar to the tortoise in the famous fable, might not be as thrilling as the hare’s sprint, but it's more likely to get me to the finish line while maintaining my health and well being, both mentally and physically.

I'm reconditioning myself to be less about the spike and crash, and more about this consistent, measured pace.

I'm betting this will win out in the long term.

How about you?

Stay steady,