Finding Your Sweet Spot

Remember when I wrote about what being “rich” really means?

How most people optimize for the wrong metrics and end up miserable despite having more money than ever?

Well, there’s a deeper principle at play here that goes way beyond money. It’s something Mr. Money Mustache calls “The Sweet Spot” and once you understand it, you’ll stop making yourself miserable in basically every area of life.

The idea is simple:

For almost everything worth doing, there’s a perfect middle ground where you get maximum benefit without the downsides that come from going overboard. Most people completely miss this sweet spot because they think more is always better.

Well guess what? It’s not.

My CrossFit Sweet Spot Journey

Let me tell you about my relationship with CrossFit because it’s a perfect example of how I stumbled into (and then found) my sweet spot.

When I first started, I was the classic beginner. Two workouts per week, feeling good about myself for “doing something.” But honestly? Two days wasn’t enough. I wasn’t seeing real progress, wasn’t building consistency, and definitely wasn’t getting the mental and physical benefits I was after.

So what did I do? I went full psycho mode.

Seven days a week. Every single day. Because if two days was good, seven days had to be better, right? I was going to optimize the hell out of my fitness.

Here’s what actually happened:

I felt like garbage. Constantly sore, constantly tired, my performance actually got worse, and I started avoiding workouts instead of looking forward to them. And here’s the worst thing, I tended to get sick big time. My immune system was so shot from overtraining that I’d catch every cold that went around. Classic case of taking a good thing way too far.

The sweet spot? Five days a week with two days of active recovery (paddle tennis, hiking, easy runs). Not too little, not too much. Just right.

At five days, I get all the benefits I’m after: I’m strong, healthy, energized, and I genuinely enjoy the process. I’m not constantly destroyed, but I’m also not half-assing it. It’s sustainable, effective, and fun.

Here’s the interesting part: I jumped straight from 2 days to 7 days without finding my middle ground. Now my sweet spot is at 5 days a week, but with the fitness level I’ve gained, my sweet spot could eventually move to 7 days a week which once was completely over the top for my beginner self.

That’s what a sweet spot feels like you’re getting almost all the benefits with way less of the downsides. And sweet spots can evolve as you do.

The Sweet Spots I’m Still Figuring Out Now

I’d love to tell you I’ve got this sweet spot thing figured out everywhere in life, but that would be a lie.

Content creation? Still experimenting. Some weeks I create something every day and burn out. Other weeks I go radio silent and lose momentum.

I’m somewhere between “perfectionist paralysis” and “good enough” but haven’t nailed the rhythm yet.

Work balance? Getting better, but still fine-tuning. The 75% employee, 25% entrepreneur split is working, but I’m constantly adjusting based on projects and energy levels.

Social media? Honestly, no clue. Sometimes I think I should be posting more, other times I think I’m posting too much. The algorithm doesn’t help with this one.

The point isn’t to have everything figured out immediately. It’s to recognize that for most things in life, there’s probably a sweet spot worth finding.

How to Find Your Sweet Spots

Here’s the framework that actually works:

Start with too little. Most people jump straight to “maximum effort” and burn out. Begin conservatively and pay attention to how you feel.

Gradually increase until you hit diminishing returns. You’ll know you’ve gone too far when the thing stops being enjoyable or sustainable, or when adding more doesn’t improve your results.

Back off slightly. Your sweet spot is usually just before the point where things start sucking.

Test and adjust. Sweet spots can change based on your life circumstances, energy levels, and goals. What works in summer might not work in winter.

The key insight? The sweet spot almost never feels like you’re going “all out.” It feels sustainable, enjoyable, and effective. If you’re constantly pushing yourself to your limits, you’re probably past your sweet spot.

The Exception: Productive Obsession Periods

Now, I need to add one important exception here because life isn’t always about balance.

Sometimes you absolutely need to become consumed by something. Those periods where you dedicate everything to a single matter, where you’re basically obsessed with getting something right or pushing through a breakthrough.

I had one of these periods when I made the crazy decision to turn my back on my engineering career and become a video editor. For about six months, I was editing every free moment I had. Mornings before class, evenings until late, weekends basically consuming everything from the lens of a video editor, practicing every technique, and obsessing over getting better. I was literally rewiring my entire professional identity, so the intensity felt justified. This wasn’t just learning a hobby this was betting my future on something completely different.

Was it sustainable? Hell no.

Did it make a huge difference to my skills? Absolutely.

These burst periods can be incredibly valuable when you need to break through a plateau or build foundational skills in something new.

The key is recognizing that even these obsessive phases need to be placed strategically within your larger sweet spot over a year.

You sprint intensely for a defined period, then you deliberately rest and recover. You can’t live in sprint mode forever, but occasional sprints can absolutely be part of a healthy long-term approach.

Think of it as zooming out on the timeline. Over a year, having 2-3 periods of productive obsession balanced with longer periods of sustainable practice might be your sweet spot for major growth.

The danger comes when people either avoid these intensive periods completely (and never really push their limits) or try to live in them permanently (and burn out spectacularly).

Why This Matters

We live in a culture that worships extremes. Hustle culture tells you to work 80-hour weeks. Fitness culture says no pain, no gain. Social media makes it seem like everyone else is doing more than you.

But the people who actually thrive long-term? They’ve found their sweet spots. They know the difference between enough and too much. They optimize for sustainability and enjoyment, not just short-term gains.

Your sweet spot isn’t the same as mine, and that’s the point. It’s deeply personal and requires honest self-reflection about what you’re actually trying to achieve and what you’re willing to sustain.

So what sweet spot are you working on finding right now? Maybe it’s workout frequency, work hours, social commitments, or screen time. Whatever it is, remember: more isn’t always better. Sometimes the real win is knowing when you have enough.

What area of your life could use some sweet spot optimization? Hit reply and let me know I’m genuinely curious about what everyone’s working on.

PS: 93 WeWill readers and counting! Only 7 more until we hit triple digits. This growth is blowing my mind.