There are three things that I want you to know right up front - First, I put 110% effort into researching this article.  Second, put 110% effort into writing it.  And third, those are without a doubt two of the most disingenuous statements I have ever written.

Don't get me wrong; I worked hard on this article.  But 110%? Who am I trying to fool?

In reality 110% effort is unachievable, and striving for such a goal has the potential to cause more harm than good.  In fact, not only is 110% effort unachievable, it's also both unnecessary and largely a myth.

Now I'll grant you that 110% is mathematically possible.  In fact, I long for the day that I realize a 110% return on my investments.  But, as I said, that's mathematically.  Physically, I think you'll agree that it's impossible to squeeze 110% out of 100% of something - you can't, for instance, eat 110% of a piece of birthday cake.  And yet we continue to use and overuse the expression in the context of time and effort expended - both of which have finite limits of 100%.  

Historically, the most frequent abuses of the 110% myth occur in sports, although the expression is also used in business. Of course, it's likely that those who claim to have given 110% towards a task have confused efforts that produce results with efforts that produce the appearance of results.  Consider, for instance, the hypothetical case of a successful project manager who is lobbying for a pay raise based on the premise she gave 110% effort in performing her duties.  Here's how her manager might break down how she actually spent her time on the job:

• Perceived Effort on Job This Year = 110%
• Took long lunches with spouse 3 times per month = -10%
• Spent 30 minutes per day on personal calls = -5%
• Spent 45 minutes per day surfing = -7.5%
• Miscellaneous breaks and unaccounted-for time = 5%
• Actual Effort Expended on job =  82.5% effort

Does she believe that she gave 110%?  Of course she does.  She believes it with just as much certainty as her manager used in demonstrating that her actual effort towards her assigned tasks was significantly lower.  This just goes to show that, as author Rob Spiegel has pointed out, most people confuse busy-work with productive work, and the perception of 110% is more likely an actual 75-80%.   

Now, does the fact that our heroine only actually gave 82.5% mean that she's a slacker?  Of course it doesn't.  What this actually demonstrates is that arbitrary benchmarks of effort expended aren't nearly as important as the end result produced. In fact there's no shame in giving even less 100% if one's efforts are focused and effective.

Learn to expend an appropriate amount of effort on each task you face and you may surprise yourself with the amount of extra time it frees up for other pursuits.  But that's easier said than done in today's society, where it seems we're expected to work longer and harder than the next person to be considered a success.

The lesson in all of this is simple.  The next time you hear someone claiming to give 110% effort - or the next time you're tempted to do so - remind yourself that it's both impossible and unnecessary.  And if you don't believe me perhaps you'll believe Andrew Carnegie, who once stated that "The average person puts only 25% of his energy and ability into his work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%."

It's up to you, then. Do you want to be considered average or do you want to give the world cause to take off its hat and stand on its head? The choice is yours.