Guy Reams (00:01.166)
This is day 89, defining best effort. You know, I was wondering today, you you always times you hear people say, or I've told people, hey, you need to put in your best effort. Or somebody will say, was that your best effort? And sometimes I'll sit here and think to myself, man, I really need to put a better effort in. But I wonder, do we really know what best effort?
really means? I don't know if I've ever really thought about it. So today I decided to really think that through. Like I have a list of commitments that I'm doing today that I try to get done every day. And I'm not doing them, I'm getting them done. But am I putting in my best effort? Like for example, I ran this morning and I mean I did it. I got it done. I checked the box.
But did I really put my best effort in? Or like today I had a task to get done that was important for my business. I mean, I accomplished the task, but did I do it the best I could do it? So I started thinking, how would I know something was the best? How would I really know? So I started pondering that and I came up with a list of things.
First, I think you have to really ask yourself is do you have a clear purpose in mind? Do you have clear goals and do you understand why you're doing something? I think if you can link what you're doing and your intent behind doing it with a clear purpose or a goal, then that would drive the best effort. You would actually consider or feel something was done better if it actually aligned to your goals.
When you're doing things that are not aligned to your goal, you never will feel like you did a good job because it's just not aligned to what your purpose is. So I think alignment to goals is probably the first and most important consideration when trying to figure out if you're putting your best foot forward. Second, time and energy. I think there's a clear sign something's a best effort if you dedicate time to it.
Guy Reams (02:18.773)
If you're just getting it done and spending the minimal amount of time, then I can guarantee you it's not your best effort. If you're consistently showing up, staying focused, and working diligently for an extended period of time, then that's at least a sign that you're giving it your best. You can't just casually do something for a few minutes, hang it up and move on, and consider that your best effort.
The next thing I would consider is overcoming big obstacles. Typically, there are things in our way to doing something. For example, if I started to run this morning and I ran into a challenge, like let's say I left my running shoes somewhere, or it was cold outside and I didn't have a jacket, or
My watch ran out of batteries and I use that to monitor my running time. So, do I push through those challenges or do I just give up when I don't have them? For example, my watch didn't work a couple days ago because the battery had failed. Did I give up or did I just go running anyway? Well, I went running anyway. But the point is, do you push through
these challenges or do you give up and work on the next day? I think a clear sign of putting in your best effort, means persisting despite difficulties and seeking solutions rather than excuses to not do the thing. I think also in regard to this, think preparation level is linked to best effort.
So if I'm really putting a lot of preparation forward, then I won't have the problem of my watch not working or not having my running shoes or whatever the case may be. If I'm going to put my best effort in, I'm going to make sure I'm prepared that the time I spend on the thing is done with everything I need so I'm not distracted or I don't have any excuses. So being well prepared demonstrates commitment and ensures that you're setting yourself up for success.
Guy Reams (04:37.333)
Also, think focus and presence is really important for you to actually have a chance of putting in best effort.
So you can ask yourself, are you fully engaged in what you're doing or are you getting distracted easily? Like if I'm sitting down to do work and I find myself getting distracted by an email or a text message or a news item or a quick trip to get a snack or a knock at the door or whatever it is, if I'm allowing myself to get distracted constantly, then I'm pretty much,
I'm pretty sure you can say, this is not my best effort. Your best effort involves being present and focused with minimal time wasted on distractions.
You know, and then I think I was done with I think that wrapped up what I felt was needed for best effort. But then as I was wrapping it up, I said, well, what am I afraid of? What would I be worried about the most and judging my best effort? And I had to regrettably admit that seeking feedback is probably the best thing you can do. So it.
You know you're putting forth your best effort when you are not worried about or that you are actively seeking constructive feedback and you want to use it to improve. If you're hiding your work from other people, then chances are you are not doing your best effort. If you don't want people to know what you're doing, I can guarantee you that you're not doing the best effort. So if you're open to learning and making changes, it shows a willingness to grow and perform at your best.
Guy Reams (06:24.055)
This is probably something to remember when you are reporting to someone. If you find yourself trying to hide what you do, chances are they will judge you as not doing your best.
Irregardless of the outcome, they will have in the back of their mind, this person could probably be doing more. And the reason they have that is because you're seeking for constructive feedback. Now, this is hard for me to admit because this is the last thing on earth I ever want to do. But I think I have to put it out there because if you're willing to get feedback, then most likely you're putting forth your best effort. And then, you know, as I started thinking about that, I thought,
You could also look at your own self. You can ask yourself the question, am I stretching beyond my comfort zone or am staying in what's easy or familiar?
If you get into a series of habits or commitments you're trying to keep, there will eventually come, and I think I've discussed about this before, after a certain period of time, you will start to get into a comfort zone with those things. They will be easy enough to do to where you can just do it and move on. But you have to really think, am I now just doing what is easy and familiar with me, or am I pushing myself beyond?
I think when you're stretching yourself beyond your capabilities or beyond your boundary, that's when you know you're putting in more effort. Growth happens when you push your boundaries, which is the hallmark of giving it your best. This isn't aligned with self-satisfaction. If you're proud of the effort you've put in, irregardless of the outcome, I think you know you did your best. When you feel pride about what you did, then that's often a sign that you did your best.
Guy Reams (08:14.015)
At the bottom line is, with some honest self-reflection, you can sit back and think about, am I honest with myself about my best effort? Now, I think, unfortunately, a lot of us never sit there and think about that. But at the end of the day, you can ask yourself, did I really work hard today? Did I really put my best effort in? I think in that moment, you can take a step back and you can be pretty honest with yourself.
Like yesterday, I had some things to get done and it was really hard because I was traveling, I had a lot of stuff going on. So at the end of the day, I asked myself, did I do the most I could? And honestly, the answer was yes, I did the best I could. But today, when I have more time available to myself, I could focus and dedicate myself to particular tasks. Am I really?
Honestly, putting my best effort? Well, the answer came back no, because I was allowing myself to get too distracted. If I were to go ask somebody outside an external validation, like my wife or my colleagues or whatever, if I were to go ask them, I'm probably meeting their expectations, but I'm probably not exceeding their expectations.
So that's an interesting question to ask. Am I exceeding your expectations? So you can ensure your best effort by doing a couple of things. So I'll end with this, some good advice that I'm going to follow myself. So this is actually more for me than it is for anybody listening to this or reading this.
First, set clear goals. If you have clear goals broken up into actionable steps, then when I'm working on one of those steps, I can be pretty rest assured that I'm doing the best I can. Second, I can create an environment that's conducive of focus. I can remove all distractions from me so that I can focus on something to increase the likelihood that I'll put my best effort in. Third, consistency. I can build habits that support my goals.
Guy Reams (10:30.529)
So that when I'm going throughout my day, I'm doing habitually things that progress towards my goal. That will help me become more efficient. Finally, I'm going to add to my nightly routine, asking myself the question, did I perform well or did I put in my best effort? Now, eventually, I could make this really awesome. I could have metrics to track myself.
But that would be the next level of fear, right? To hold myself accountable by some number I have to hit. I'm not ready for that. But I think I will for my, at least the initial thing, I'm gonna ask that question. Did I do my best today? Ultimately, your best effort is about showing up with intention, giving your full attention to the task and being proud of what you've done, even if you have room for improvement.
That's really what it means to put forth your best effort. So I had a, had a, this was productive for me to spend an hour or so thinking through what it takes to put forth the best effort. Hopefully this is helpful to you.