What if you could spend just a tiny fraction of your day on your craft and be the BEST in your chosen discipline? The Rule of 100 states that this is exactly how you can win your discipline. By spending just ~18 minutes a day in your discipline, you can excel past almost everyone else. Pretty powerful stuff, right?
So what exactly does the Rule of 100 say?
What Is The Rule of 100 (The 18 Minutes a Day Version)?
Here’s how’s the Rule of 100 works:
The Rule of 100:
If you spend 100 hours a year in any discipline,
(which is only ~18 minutes a day)
you’ll be better than 95% of the world in that discipline.
Consistency is everything.
Note: I edited this slightly to add the “~” because 18 minutes a day is actually 109.5 hours in a year. So if you spend approximately 18 minutes a day, plus or minus a few minutes to accommodate real life, then you STILL can achieve great things in your preferred discipline.
While I haven’t been able to track down the original source of The Rule of 100, and therefore also don’t know how they arrived at these numbers, I love this as a general, inspirational concept.
You don’t need a lot of scientific evidence for this 18 minutes a day concept to generally make sense.
If you’ve ever…
- participated in a sport
- made art
- learned how to play an instrument
- attempted to become fluent in a new language
- or otherwise learned a new skill
…you’d know that practice – and a lot of it done *consistently* – is necessary to get anywhere.
But you can’t just do any kind of practice.
Here are some tips to maximize the effectiveness of The Rule of 100.
How to Maximize Your Rule of 100 Results (3 Tips)
Here are 3 tips to help you maximize The Rule of 100.
Tip 1: Don’t Be Half-A$$ed
To start – there’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing things with only half of your heart in on it. Maybe that thing isn’t a priority for you right now. And that’s okay.
But if you want to be “better than 95% of the world”, you simply cannot go into things half-a$$ed.
Half-a$$ enthusiasm and energy does not yield greatness. It just doesn’t.
So get real with yourself.
How bad do you want whatever it is that you want?
If the answer is “not that bad”, then own it. Because that’s a totally valid option…as long as you’re not trying to be “the best of the best of the best, sir.”
But if you REALLY want to win in your discipline, then commit, baby! And do it with all your heart!
Tip 2: Deliberate Practice > Practice
I grew up training as an elite athlete in figure skating.
I have spent thousands and thousands of hours on my discipline.
Blood?
Sweat?
Tears?
Check. Check. And check!
Whilst I didn’t win any Olympic medals, I know something about practice.
Figure skating is a very challenging, technical, and detail-oriented sport. And the cost of failure isn’t just “missing the shot” but potentially busting your butt on a very hard and unforgiving surface.
You learn pretty quickly that there’s a big difference between practice and deliberate practice.
Doing the same move over and over again doesn’t necessarily yield results. That’s just repetition.
So what’s the difference?
And why does it even matter when it comes to The Rule of 100?
Practice vs Deliberate Practice:
- Practice: If you’re trying a new jump, and you keep falling, doing it the same way repeatedly not only means you’ll probably continue falling. Worse yet – you’ll start training potentially “bad habits” into your system. And it might end up taking more work to fix them later.
- Deliberate Practice: If you keep falling on a new jump, you need to figure out what’s going wrong. Figure skaters typically work with a coach who can observe their jump attempts and provide direction on how to approach the jump differently to improve. They get feedback, incorporate that feedback, and try again. As the skater refines their execution of the jump, they get closer and closer to landing it and eventually do just that.
So don’t just repeat things for the sake of repeating it. Aim for learning, improving, and advancing and try again.
Aim to always get better as you go.
On this note…
Tip 3: Don’t Just Be Open to Criticism – Seek It
Criticism (or at least feedback) is essential for deliberate practice. And it’s important to not just be open to it, but to actively seek it out.
Sure, receiving criticism can often suck.
But applying criticism actually accelerates your results.
Because as observant as you can be, you can’t see everything the same way an outsider can. This is why so many athletes and leaders hire coaches. To help them find even more ways to improve and uplevel their game.
As a type A overachiever, I actually love criticism.
(I know, I’m weird)
Sure, it is sometimes harder to accept than other times. And depending on the source and approach, it can be delivered in a gentler or harsher way.
But one of the best things I’ve done in my life is have a general practice of seeking feedback and / or criticism.
By requesting and receiving feedback from others, I’ve gotten SO many more ways to improve anything and everything I’ve ever worked on. And while I can’t put a number on it, I’m confident that I’m WAY better than if I’d try to go it all alone.
Seeking feedback can look like:
- Hiring a coach
- Doing a class or workshop where you’ll get feedback from a teacher
- Asking a trusted friend, colleague, or other connection for direct feedback
A caveat to this is that not everyone’s feedback is worth taking. So the word “trusted” in the list above is key. And finding coaches and teachers you work well with is also important. You gotta find the right fit.
But once you get that juicy, great feedback, be sure to apply it as part of your Deliberate Practice (going back to tip #2). And watch your results skyrocket over time!
The Rule of 100 Journal Prompts
- How important is my goal / discipline? Am I entering this half-a$$ed or ready to kick a$$?
- What are 3 things I can do to ensure I’m not just repeating my craft but doing deliberate practice to improve over time?
- What are 3 ways I can seek outside criticism / feedback?
Summary
The Rule of 100 states that practicing ~18 minutes a day in your discipline can help you excel past 95% of your competition.
To maximize The Rule of 100:
- Don’t be half-a$$ed in your execution
- Remember to focus on deliberate practice (vs repetitive practice)
- Seek criticism and feedback to accelerate your results
And beyond my 3 tips, remember:
If you want to excel in your chosen discipline, then consistency is key to achieving great results.
So stick with your deliberate practice. See if you can make a daily habit of it. Give yourself grace if life gets busy, and you need to take a break. But aim for ~18-ish minutes a day for a year, and be amazed at what you can accomplish!
Read Next
Hitting a roadblock? Ask yourself: Who’s stronger: me or the limiting belief? (click for more guidance and tips)
***
Thank you for stopping by and checking out my post. Be sure to share this with someone who would find this helpful.
xo, Diana