The 60% Rule: How I Stay Consistent With Chronic Pain
The 60% Rule saved my life more than any surgery.
I've been in pain every day since 2014. Not most days. Every day. When your body works like that, the standard advice about consistency falls apart fast. "Just show up every day" sounds great until the day your spine has other plans.
Here's what used to happen. I'd build a plan on a good day, for good days. Then a flare would hit, the plan would become impossible, and I'd do nothing. Zero. And zeros are poison. One zero becomes three. Three becomes a lost month. The plan didn't fail because I was weak. It failed because it was built for a body I don't have.
The rule
I aim for 60% of what a good day looks like.
And I hit it no matter what.
60% done beats 100% skipped. Every single time. Not because 60% is impressive, but because it keeps the streak alive, and the streak is where identity gets built.
How to run it
The rule only works if you define your 60% before you need it. Deciding what counts while you're hurting is a negotiation, and you will lose negotiations with yourself on bad days. So you set the floor in advance:
- Training: a good day is a full session. 60% is a walk to the end of the property and back. Done is done.
- Work: a good day moves three things. 60% moves one thing that actually matters, then stops.
- Content: a good day films and posts. 60% posts something already in the bank.
Notice what the 60% version is not. It's not "try your best." It's a specific, pre-decided action with a finish line. You either did it or you didn't.
Why it works
Chronic pain is daily. So discipline has to be daily too. I don't wait to feel good. I adjust and move anyway. Some days it's slower. Some days it's heavier. But I don't let pain decide who I am. I decide that.
Every 60% day is proof. Proof that you're the type of person who shows up regardless. Stack enough proof and you stop needing motivation, because your identity carries the weight instead. That's worth more than any perfect week, because perfect weeks end. Identity doesn't.
A system that only works on your best day is not a system. Build the floor first. The ceiling takes care of itself.
The 38-day version
The 38x Reset planner asks you one question every morning: what does 60% look like if today becomes a hard day? Then it holds you to it for 38 days. One page a day. Built by someone who lives this.