How to get maximum results with the minimum effort

Good technique (not shown) saves a lot of effort. (State Library and Archives of Florida)

How do we know that we’re doing the “right” volume of work?

I first learned of the concept of the minimum effective dose from Tim Ferriss, who got it from inventor and exercise expert Arthur Jones.

Jones applied the minimum effective dose (MED) idea to bodybuilding; Ferriss extended it to medications and food. Here, I apply it to schoolwork.

While there are teachers who believe in work for work’s sake (that is, you must do the work to show that you’re someone who is willing to do the work), I am not one of them. I am much more interested in the knowledge and skills that are gained or enhanced from doing the work. If there is another, more efficient way to acquire those, I am always open to it. 

So instead of thirty math problems, a student may receive only five. If he can demonstrate that he understands the concept and can apply it correctly and consistently, he gets to move on. 

If he does not understand the concept, the twenty-five extra problems aren’t going to help anyway. Thus, the five problems become a helpful diagnostic with a much faster turnaround time.

Thus, a student has the smallest volume of work that can adequately address his learning objectives.

Why is it so important to give students the smallest volume of work? Well, some students work slowly and find themselves utterly overwhelmed by the hours of homework they have each night. If there is some way to help them to get the same results in less time, they get a chance at having a life.

However, carefully calibrating the volume of work is helpful for the teacher, too. Instead of giving assignments in the spirit of having students prove their diligence or to fill their time, the teacher can treat each one as a test — not in the sense of an examination, but an experiment. She can gather data on what works for the students and adapt future assignments accordingly. This works best when it is done on an individual basis, but it can certainly be used to improve curriculum and outcomes for an entire group.

Blame the Puritans if you wish, but we Americans have a culture that values hard work to such a degree that we don’t always take the time to discern whether that work is strictly necessary. Even those of us who have been out of school for quite some time can apply the Minimum Effective Dose concept to our work. Just as muscles fatigue and no longer benefit from exercise past a certain point, our brains get tired and we reach a point of diminishing returns. I can write back to 15 emails in 10 minutes — but it takes me a forty-five minutes to do the next 15. Even though there’s nothing I can do to minimize the volume of the emails themselves, I am much better off scheduling shorter sessions, even setting a timer to maximize efficiency.

Yes, those emails will still keep coming — and the students still have to progress through years’ worth of curriculum, day by day. By taking advantage of the Minimum Effective Dose, we are not slowing down and we’re not being easy on ourselves. Instead, we’re being as efficient as possible, doing the maximum with the minimum time and effort. Our reward is increased energy, effectiveness, and enthusiasm for what’s next.