The law of reversed effort

The Law of Reversed Effort was first coined by the author Aldous Huxley, who wrote:

 

"The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed.

 

"Proficiency and the results of proficiency come only to those who have learned the paradoxical art of doing and not doing, or combining relaxation with activity, of letting go as a person so that the immanent and transcendent unknown quantity may take hold."

 

Aldous Huxley coined the term 'The Law of Reversed Effort' to explain that the harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed.  

Imagine your work, family, health and play as your four wheels - how much traction is each wheel getting? Are your tyres wearing evenly, are you holding the race line, is your car in good shape to last the distance, or are you just flat out focusing on being first into the next corner, as though your happiness depended on it?

That’s nice, you might think, but how does that translate to real life? How can Huxley’s law of reversed effort be seen not as an ideology but as a practical guide? The fact is that “not doing” is fundamental to the nature of many tasks. The problem with a lot of philosophy of this kind is that it leaves us no better off than before. Here are just a few examples.

 

 A common example is falling asleep: Sometimes when you can’t fall asleep it helps to stop trying: count sheep, read a book, focus on your breath, etc. Likewise, golf pros instruct their pupils that they must relax to hit the ball well — too much effort ruins the swing. Playing piano requires relaxed effort, as does shooting free throws.

Leo Tolstoy described this concept perfectly in Anna Karenina where he describes a day of labor undertaken by Konstantin Levin, a member of the upper crust of Russian society, as he mows hay with a scythe alongside his peasants:

“A change began to come over his work, which gave him immense satisfaction. In the midst of his toil there were moments during which he forgot what he was doing, and it came all easy to him, and at those same moments his row was almost as smooth and well cut as Tit’s. But so soon as he recollected what he was doing, and began trying to do better, he was at once conscious of all the difficulty of his task, and the row was badly mown.”

– Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

people who are desperate to get married, but they don’t get any candidate for that purpose. On the other side, I see people who have absolutely no urge or plan to marry, yet these people have plenty of suggestions in their circle. I see people who desperately tried to pass the CSS exam with various attempts, yet they failed. And then I came across people who were not much obsessive and cracked the exam on their first attempt easily. Weird!

Universe has a weird algorithm. We often get things when we stop looking for them or when we let go. Our subconscious part of the mind takes anything we feed it. So focusing on what we want or desire will only reinforce to our subconscious mind that we currently lack that thing. So if we focus on wanting more money, this tells our subconscious mind that we are broke. Such a mindset will keep us broke.

Technical skills: When learning a new sport or skill, you must understand the technique. You go through the motions, ticking off steps in your head and eventually succeeding. But there comes the point when overthinking is detrimental. It’s probably why your favourite team are rubbish at penalty shoot-outs.

 

Stress and anxiety: We all get stressed about things. All jobs involve bottlenecks and crunch points. Life has good days and bad days. But when we obsessively run things over in our heads, we make anxiety worse. There is a reason “mindfulness” is such a breakaway phenomenon, and Headspace is a $250-million business. Stepping away, taking a breath, and doing nothing is good for you.

 

Conversations: When it comes to how we talk to people, less really is more. A lousy conversation involves you talking too much, and your “listening” consists of simply waiting to speak again. Yet research shows that active listening gives more “conversational satisfaction” and leaves the partner feeling more understood.

Thanks https://www.theifod.com/the-law-of-reversed-effort/,

https://minutemirror.com.pk/law-of-reversed-effort-61291/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/law-reversed-effort-how-youre-quicker-slowing-down-andrew-hurrell/,

https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/law-reversed-effort/