Could a “good” dose suffice here? When I hear “minimum effective,” I think about conservation of resources to nourish the higher priorities. Good allows you to nourish those core identities (husband, father, etc), while focusing (Maximum Effective Dose) on priorities during each season. I’m sure reading the book will give me the additional context needed.
Yes, absolutely. I go much deeper into this in Chapters 04 and 07 of the book! I use the metaphor of a house for identity, and how your identity house has more than one room. And during different seasons of life you need to figure out how much time and energy to spend in each room. Check out the book I suspect you'll dig it!
Minimum effective dose is not a metaphor in my work, it is the entire technique. Anesthesia is not a fixed amount handed to a person; it is a continuous negotiation in which I give the least that will do the job, watch what that particular body does with it, and adjust. Too much and the recovery is longer and rougher. Too little and the patient moves. What makes the phrase good life advice is the same thing that makes it good clinically - the dose is not the point, the response is, and you cannot know the response in advance from the book. The textbook is written for a population. You are treating one body. Your seasons argument is the same correction applied to a life.
Thanks so much for sharing this ~ I have become increasingly aware of the relevance of this message lately, as I have felt the need to focus on my family more during the summer months, particularly this year, as several of my children have been needing extra support & I have felt the need to spend more time with them lately as well for various reasons.
A couple of them have reached/are reaching important milestones in their development, are going through significant transitions, & one of them has 2 forms of neurodivergence as well (autism w/co-occurring ADHD, although is diagnostically identified as having relatively "low support needs"). Despite this, I provide support in other ways, including emotional support, fairly frequently for this particular child.
It has simply not been feasible for me to go at the same pace I was with some of my professional goals during the school year while simultaneously trying to feel like a good parent & juggle all of my other responsibilities during this season. I appreciate your consideration of the complex topic of "balance," which can be incredibly fraught for so many individuals, and the distress caused by an oversimplified form of this framing is often amplified when dealing with neurological differences as well. Thanks again for your thoughtful consideration of this important topic!
Well said! Thanks for sharing, Brad. I've recently started periodizing my training, and it relates to what you said; for my fitness, I do running and lifting, but recently started switching one to maintenance and the other to build instead of holding a fairytale that I can build both at the same time.
As a new dad in the midst of grad school I’m definitely feeling the push and pull of trying to stay “balanced”… but it’s been exhausting. Trying to be a great dad, husband, friend, brother, son, student, staying super fit, well read, etc. it’s just tough. But this article provided a bit of a deep breath of sorts. Realizing what the focus needs to be and going all in on a few major areas for however long will be more sustainable.
I really connect with this. Personally, operating in seasons gives me the ability to zoom out and see my journey with a different perspective. It's so easy to become enthralled in my process when I'm striving for things I'm passionate about. I think using your original theme and reshaping it to help me see my life from a distance, understanding that life is made from the small moments, helps me move at a more sustainable pace. Thank you Brad!
I think it takes *more* energy to stay balanced across all areas of life than to not even try it. More energy and higher chances of failing. Fully agree with this approach, which I just recently realized is necessary to feel fulfilled.
And the sequential part, focusing on one priority at a time, takes from the pressure of all or nothing. If one thing doesn't work out as you have hoped, you can pivot, take on a different priority temporarily. Very different than the classic education most of us received about the desirable life path of education-job-marriage-house-kids.
Brad, I’ve read your three books and have followed your work for some time. I find myself agreeing with much of what you write, so perhaps that’s why this piece made me pause.
What I particularly like is the idea of balance being sequential rather than simultaneous.
Life, to me, is like alternating current (AC): constantly oscillating around a mid point, sometimes with significant peaks in either direction. Or like a beating heart: constantly contracting and relaxing, not necessarily at the same rate or intensity all the time.
At any given moment, life is going to look completely unbalanced. It is only when we step back and look across time that balance begins to appear. And seen from that perspective, I’m not sure a balanced life is boring at all. It may actually be quite the opposite: the result of a life full of movement, priorities, choices, and different seasons.
This reframe quietly takes a lot of pressure off. Athletes struggle with the idea that prioritizing sport means neglecting everything else. But that guilt assumes balance has to be daily.
Seasons make more sense. Go all in now. The other parts of life get their turn.
Could a “good” dose suffice here? When I hear “minimum effective,” I think about conservation of resources to nourish the higher priorities. Good allows you to nourish those core identities (husband, father, etc), while focusing (Maximum Effective Dose) on priorities during each season. I’m sure reading the book will give me the additional context needed.
Yes, absolutely. I go much deeper into this in Chapters 04 and 07 of the book! I use the metaphor of a house for identity, and how your identity house has more than one room. And during different seasons of life you need to figure out how much time and energy to spend in each room. Check out the book I suspect you'll dig it!
Thank you! It’s on order.
Minimum effective dose is not a metaphor in my work, it is the entire technique. Anesthesia is not a fixed amount handed to a person; it is a continuous negotiation in which I give the least that will do the job, watch what that particular body does with it, and adjust. Too much and the recovery is longer and rougher. Too little and the patient moves. What makes the phrase good life advice is the same thing that makes it good clinically - the dose is not the point, the response is, and you cannot know the response in advance from the book. The textbook is written for a population. You are treating one body. Your seasons argument is the same correction applied to a life.
Thanks so much for sharing this ~ I have become increasingly aware of the relevance of this message lately, as I have felt the need to focus on my family more during the summer months, particularly this year, as several of my children have been needing extra support & I have felt the need to spend more time with them lately as well for various reasons.
A couple of them have reached/are reaching important milestones in their development, are going through significant transitions, & one of them has 2 forms of neurodivergence as well (autism w/co-occurring ADHD, although is diagnostically identified as having relatively "low support needs"). Despite this, I provide support in other ways, including emotional support, fairly frequently for this particular child.
It has simply not been feasible for me to go at the same pace I was with some of my professional goals during the school year while simultaneously trying to feel like a good parent & juggle all of my other responsibilities during this season. I appreciate your consideration of the complex topic of "balance," which can be incredibly fraught for so many individuals, and the distress caused by an oversimplified form of this framing is often amplified when dealing with neurological differences as well. Thanks again for your thoughtful consideration of this important topic!
Well said! Thanks for sharing, Brad. I've recently started periodizing my training, and it relates to what you said; for my fitness, I do running and lifting, but recently started switching one to maintenance and the other to build instead of holding a fairytale that I can build both at the same time.
As a new dad in the midst of grad school I’m definitely feeling the push and pull of trying to stay “balanced”… but it’s been exhausting. Trying to be a great dad, husband, friend, brother, son, student, staying super fit, well read, etc. it’s just tough. But this article provided a bit of a deep breath of sorts. Realizing what the focus needs to be and going all in on a few major areas for however long will be more sustainable.
I really connect with this. Personally, operating in seasons gives me the ability to zoom out and see my journey with a different perspective. It's so easy to become enthralled in my process when I'm striving for things I'm passionate about. I think using your original theme and reshaping it to help me see my life from a distance, understanding that life is made from the small moments, helps me move at a more sustainable pace. Thank you Brad!
I think it takes *more* energy to stay balanced across all areas of life than to not even try it. More energy and higher chances of failing. Fully agree with this approach, which I just recently realized is necessary to feel fulfilled.
And the sequential part, focusing on one priority at a time, takes from the pressure of all or nothing. If one thing doesn't work out as you have hoped, you can pivot, take on a different priority temporarily. Very different than the classic education most of us received about the desirable life path of education-job-marriage-house-kids.
Brad, I’ve read your three books and have followed your work for some time. I find myself agreeing with much of what you write, so perhaps that’s why this piece made me pause.
What I particularly like is the idea of balance being sequential rather than simultaneous.
Life, to me, is like alternating current (AC): constantly oscillating around a mid point, sometimes with significant peaks in either direction. Or like a beating heart: constantly contracting and relaxing, not necessarily at the same rate or intensity all the time.
At any given moment, life is going to look completely unbalanced. It is only when we step back and look across time that balance begins to appear. And seen from that perspective, I’m not sure a balanced life is boring at all. It may actually be quite the opposite: the result of a life full of movement, priorities, choices, and different seasons.
Thanks for the thought-provoking piece.
This reframe quietly takes a lot of pressure off. Athletes struggle with the idea that prioritizing sport means neglecting everything else. But that guilt assumes balance has to be daily.
Seasons make more sense. Go all in now. The other parts of life get their turn.