Minimum Effective Dose

Sometimes we can’t make something perfect. Sometimes we can’t even make something good. Sometimes we just need to settle for good enough.

Good enough = Minimum Effective Dose

I have no idea where “minimum effective dose”(m.e.d.) comes from, but let’s say its a medical term. It is the minimum amount of something required to get the desired result.

It’s the point where diminishing returns kick in. It’s another way to think about the 80/20 principle. What is the minimum amount of something required to get at part of the effect you’re looking for?

It’s important to think about because we can’t waste a lot of valuable time if we don’t.

Some examples: The M.E.D. for tanning your skin is five minutes in the sun. That is all that is required to kick off the tanning process in your skin. If the only reason you are lying in the sun is to get a tan. Then after minute five the results you’re getting may not be worth your time.

The M.E.D. for exercise is about two minutes of high-intensity exercise. If your only goal with running is to lose weight you are much better off running around like a maniac for 120 seconds than dragging your legs around for a one-hour jog.

It can be hard to accept the minimum effective dose though because of weird beliefs we have.

We believe that losing weight requires suffering, so we engage in activities that make us feel that way because we connect the feeling the effect we want.

With creative tasks, it is fear that holds us back from good enough. Relentlessly editing your blog posts for an hour helps us avoid the embarrassment of typo’s but it costs us in the time we have with our friends, family, and other projects.

Perfectionism is celebrated in many famous, successful, creatives. But there is a survival bias. We don’t hear from the gigantic group of people who are paralyzed by the fear of publicly making mistakes so they never actually create anything for public consumption.

When you are competing at an elite level perfect is often required to win or stand out. But to get to that elite level you need to be able to accept good enough.

On your journey to get where you want to go, it is much more important to travel efficiently than to travel perfectly. So, what areas of your life are you holding out for perfect when good enough would serve you better?

H/T to Isaac Morehouse for the inspiration.