The Last 10%

I’m a numbers guy.  I like to work with metrics, percentages, and any other way I can figure out how to measure something. 

In some ways this is good.  It helps me keep track of my goals (speaking of goals check out Mike Lamb and my goal space Thursdays 9:30 AM eastern on Twitter).  But it’s not always helpful.  Sometimes, it makes me paranoid about things.

One of the things that I like to do when measuring goals or setting up a system to do so is consider the requirements to accomplish the goal.

It would be all too easy to accomplish our goals if the whole process took the same type and amount of effort. This is not the subject of this entry, but it's notable that this is why I promote breaking your goals down into small tasks. This enables you to simplify the actions and effort needed.

Simplifying

In reference to your macro goals, there’s nothing that you can do to simplify the process. There are going to be changes and different seasons that require varying actions and amounts of effort.

When looking at the macro goal, it’s impossible to take in all scenarios at once and therefore I believe it’s important to isolate specific portions as you can.

I am also a big believer in setting priorities. This can be applied here by figuring out which portion of your goal will be critical.

I referenced Twitter above and I will say that much of the content on Twitter will tell you to just start something. I tend to agree with this advice because it allows you to learn as you go and the things that go well will build on your progress and momentum. But, I’m going to challenge even my own thinking here.

The 10%

I heard once that the last 10% of something is the most meaningful. If we operate under the impression that you have started and that is not actually part of the process but merely an indication that the process has begun, I would state that the last 10% of your effort in pursuit of a goal is the most important.

Here are three reasons why the last 10% is the most important:

1. This is the point at which the best, most effective, and most experienced work takes place.

2. You’ll find the most leverage in this work.

3. This is where the ultimate goal is in reach and your effort elicits dopamine.

Each of these reasons serves a different purpose.  The first is related to the quality of the work. The second is related to the influence you have during that period.  The third is related to the emotion you have.

Quality

The quality of the last 10% of your work will be the pinnacle of your effort.  At this point, you’ve spent plenty of time, learned most of what you can learn, and built powerful momentum towards your goal.  You should acknowledge this and capitalize on it. Don’t rest on your laurels or take it easy.  Think of the impact that you can have during this period - where your work is as good as it can be.

Influence

The influence that you have during the period of time where your work quality is maximized is the ideal time to plant the seed for additional opportunities.  These opportunities may be for you or others.  Seek collaboration if possible. Your skills and someone else’s may match very well and that allows for maximum impact.  Leverage is a powerful thing.

Emotion

Finally, when you can see something in reach and you can begin to feel the accomplishment, you are in a great place to increase fulfillment.  At this point, you’re past the stage where the effort might seem monotonous or fatigue sets in.  This is where the work itself can be tied directly to the joy of success. 

I always talk about the importance of the journey and that goals and accomplishments should not be treated like isolated events.  They should be treated as joyful processes and the last 10% is the place where this is most evident.  I urge you to enjoy the last 10% because the goal itself is just a number or metric and once you're done with the work you'll need to find something else to satisfy your desire to achieve.  After all, you are an impactmaker, right?

You’re Superhuman

It is scientifically proven that human beings can find extreme amounts of motivation and strength during the most meaningful times.  

A friend of mine told me a story once about rescuing his brother who had been trapped underneath their family’s electronic garage door.  He wasn’t sure exactly how much the garage door weighed but it wasn't something that you could lift by yourself.  But when his brother’s life was on the line, he found the superhuman strength to lift the garage door and save him.

I’m not saying every goal that you have is a life or death scenario or that you should try to make the end of your pursuit as dire as that but I am telling you to maximize on the feeling you have in that period.

You have a superhuman strength inside of you.

Bob(by) the Builder

Who didn’t love Legos?

I used to love Legos when I was a kid.  In fact, my mind hasn’t changed very much.  I think I still love Legos. I don’t play with them or build anything with them anymore but I do remember the joy of accomplishment when completing a set. 

I was the type of kid who wanted to have an entire set and my parents probably were a bit frustrated with my demands for full Lego sets but I see those characteristics of myself to this day.  It could be obsessive compulsive disorder or some other issue, but when an entire set of something isn’t completed it just makes me uncomfortable. 

This is another thing in life that can be a blessing and a curse.  The curse is having a memory that calls upon things that aren’t completed from almost forty years of life - things that could never be completed.  I suppose I’ll be living with them for the rest of my life.  On the other hand, the good thing about it is I have an increasingly insatiable desire to complete things as I get closer to the goal.

My appreciation for Lego sets developed the habit of maximizing the last 10% of my goal pursuit process. If there were 20 pages of directions for completing a Lego set, those last two pages were about as joyful as anything for me.  That feeling of being so close to completing whatever it was (probably some kind of space monorail) was extremely motivating and provided some amazing momentum for my next goal.  And I don’t mean just my next Lego set.  I mean whatever other task I had in life.  It could have been related to athletics, academics, or anything my parents had asked me to do. 

The lesson here is that a well executed final 10% of a goal pursuit means way more then just finishing one goal.  It’s a catalyst for additional success and exponential growth.

Growth

I don’t use the term exponential growth flippantly.  I believe that a big part of life is building on what we have already done. There’s a reason why academics, athletics, faith, business, and any other areas of life allow us to advance farther the more experience we have.  This is manifest in an ever increasingly productive world. 

I have thoroughly addressed in the past the power that technology has.  It’s a key concept in my book, "Personal Finance in a Public World” and highly relevant to today’s blog entry because I don’t believe in a static existence.  I believe the world that we live in is always affected by momentum and we want that momentum to be positive.  

We are either exponentially growing or exponentially wilting.

So I ask you, what are you doing to make sure that the most highly leveraged portion of your efforts towards a goal are pushing you in the right direction?

The Challenge

This is a challenge.  You can severely affect your progress during the first 90% of your work if you don’t treat the final 10% as premier. 

I’ve seen plenty of people struggle with the end of their journey toward a single goal.  There are some who had a faulty goal setting process or were forced into the situation and this is a topic for another entry. However, we’ve all been in the scenario where we've accomplished something but felt maybe it wasn't as joyful as it should have been or it wasn’t ultimately as effective as desired.  I’m not sure if this can be completely prevented but I do believe much of it could be avoided with a most effective final 10%.

The most effective way for me to maximize my final 10% is to harmonize my advanced skills with a beginner’s mindset.  If you can remember back to the beginning of your efforts, you’ll likely think of the beginner’s mindset, quick wins, and motivating learning curve. Remember what it was like to be far away from your goal but keep in mind that you’re now highly trained and experienced to work towards it.

Workout for the Win

I’ll use the typical fitness metaphor for the closing example.  Let’s say you had a goal of doing fifty consecutive pushups when you originally could only do two. 

How many consecutive pushups can you do?

You’d be able to do a third and fourth push up pretty quickly - maybe even within a couple days.  The body will quickly build strength and endurance. 

Unfortunately, your pace of improvement will slow down.  You might consider this a manifestation of the law of diminishing returns.  I don’t look at it like that. 

I believe that every additional push up you can do is worth more than the one that came before it.  It takes more endurance, more strength, more mental effort, more time, and it ultimately provides a greater fitness benefit.  

Don’t let the simple numbers get you down.  Acknowledge your growth and new ability when you're up to forty-five pushups.  At the same time, treat those last five pushups like five new opportunities for growth you couldn’t reach previously.  

You couldn't do a forty-sixth push up a few months back. That’s incredibly exciting.  With that being said, the last 10% of all your efforts is the most exciting.

Finish strong.