precisely the problem , it was too easy !
General Mills commissioned a marketing expert , Ernest Dichter , to figure out why the instant mix wasn ’ t resonating with consumers . His conclusion ? We bake a cake for special occasions . In other words , it ’ s an expression of love . Less effort made it less meaningful .
Remember 3M ? Our habits have to be measurable , meaningful , and maintainable ? The cake mix was so simple that it felt selfindulgent . What did General Mills do ? They made it more meaningful by making it less easy ! They made it take more time ! When consumers had to add eggs and measure milk , sales soared .
The lesson ? Harder is better and slower is faster . And it ’ s not just true of cake mix . If you were looking for easy answers and quick fixes , you bought the wrong book . This 30 day challenge won ’ t be easy , and I make no apologies for that . By definition , a challenge involves a degree of difficulty . The technical term is desirable difficulty , and it ’ s a critical piece of the habit formation puzzle . I share an equation in my book Win The Day that I want to solve for you in Do It For A Day :
Deliberate Practice + Desirable Difficulty = Durable Learning
We ’ ll reverse engineer the entire equation over the next thirty days , but let me start with desirable difficulty . It sounds like an oxymoron , as oxymoronic as James 1:2 : “ Count it all joy when you face various trials .” ( NIV ) Really ? Why ? Because those trials are opportunities to prove yourself . You can ’ t spell testimony without the word test . When you pass the test , you graduate to the next level . Plus , you ’ ll be stronger on the other side .
Coined by Robert A . Bjork , desirable difficulty refers to a task that requires considerable effort . Difficult tasks slow down the learning process at first , but they yield a long-term benefit called durable learning . If something is too easy , we get bored . If something is too difficult , we quit . Desirable Difficulty is the middle ground where growth happens .
The sweet spot is called JMD — just manageable difficulty . It ’ s a little outside your comfort zone . It ’ s a little beyond your resources . It ’ s a little past your pay grade . That ’ s when and where and why we need coaches , therapists , and trainers . We need someone who pushes us past our perceived limits .
Have you ever heard of the 40 % rule ? When your mind tells you to quit — you feel like you ’ ve given it everything you ’ ve got — you ’ ve only tapped 40 % of your potential . That idea originates with ultramarathon runner and former Navy Seal , David Goggins . When you feel like you ’ ve reached the end of your rope , you have 60 % more potential than you are even aware of . If you ’ re going to tap your full potential , you have to push past those mental blocks .
As a writer and a pastor , I feel like my job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable . My goal is to coax you out of your comfort zone and into your growth zone . You have to get comfortable with discomfort . How ? By adding time and resistance ! When you push past previous limits and achieve a PR — personal
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