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From motivational speakers to workplace seminars, we are constantly reminded that putting in the extra effort leads to better results. And while this tends to be true, it is based on the assumption that the costs of the effort are worth the benefit we expect to get in return.

However, mental and physical energy (what we expend when we exert ourselves) are limited resources, and we are motivated to conserve them (Hobfoll, 1989). We are actually hardwired to be averse to spending those resources unnecessarily or in ways that are not aligned with objection and interests. For such situations, we tend to default to the path of least resistance (1)making only the effort necessary to achieve a sufficiently satisfactory result (satisfactorily) results.

A recent meta-analysis went further than just arguing that we are motivated to conserve our resources. David et al. (2024) actually found that mental effort expenditure is positively and strongly associated with increased frustration (2)which is a specific type of negative affect. Their meta-analysis included over 100 studies, 350 tasks, and 4,500 participants, and the results were quite robust.

So what should we conclude from their study? If more mental effort equals more frustration, then it might stand to reason that we’d all be motivated toward laziness. The frustration that comes from mental effort would seem to serve as a barrier to high achievement.

However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. So why not?

The answer lies in the fact that while we are hardwired to avoid unnecessary effort, we are also driven by goals and rewards that compel us to push through frustration when the stakes are high enough. Effort becomes more bearable—and even desirable—when we believe the outcome will bring greater value. This is the place motivational intensity theory (3) comes into play, suggesting that the amount of effort we are willing to invest is proportional to how much we value the outcome and how achievable we think that outcome is.

In short, we’re not lazy – we’re selective. We reserve our highest levels of effort for situations where the potential reward justifies the mental and emotional cost. This explains why people might work tirelessly on a passion project or strive for a promotion, but refuse to put in the extra effort for something they see as trivial or out of alignment with their personal goals. And this brings us back to the concept of satisfaction.

The role of satisfaction in effort management

When faced with a particular demand (ie, a task or goal) that requires mental effort, we are only willing to expend the effort necessary to do a good enough job of fulfilling that demand. Sometimes we are not willing to put in any effort. We simply rate the request as requiring too much mental effort for any reasonable level of return and therefore choose to ignore it.

For example, let’s say you receive an invitation to attend a networking event after a long day at work. While there may be benefits you would receive from participating, you may be tired after a long day and simply view the potential benefits as not worth the mental effort required.

Other times, however, you may judge the request to be worth some level of effort. That is, you expect that putting in some mental effort will lead to a result that is worth the cost of that effort.

For example, consider the need to respond to a work email. If the email requires careful consideration and careful wording, you may choose to invest the mental effort because of the potential benefit that would result from a well-crafted response (securing a client, solving a pressing problem) (4). However, for a routine email, you could provide a quicker and less detailed response, considering that the extra mental effort would not provide much return.

But it’s also important to remember that effort-reward valuation is relative. As I wrote in the context work-life balancewe have a finite amount of personal resources, and mental effort is one of those resources. Accordingly, whether an expected benefit is worth the mental effort will necessarily be affected by (a) how much mental effort we perceive ourselves to have at the time, and (b) the presence of other (perhaps competing) demands on our mental effort. .

In the example of the networking event earlier, whether the event is worth it is probably affected by how stressful the workday was (5). Most of the values ​​we hold are situationally activated (6)so even if the event took place after a smaller one stressful day, doesn’t mean the networking event is a priority for your mental effort. A networking event may not be something you’re interested in. Conversely, there may be other requests that you feel offer a greater return for the same mental effort or even less. These events would be considered a better use of your limited resources (7).

So it’s not that we’re lazy. We simply don’t have enough resources to devote the highest level of mental effort to every task we encounter. So we choose where to put more mental effort, where to put just the mental effort that is good enough, and where to put no mental effort at all. Voltaire referenced an old Italian proverb that translates to “The best is the enemy of the good.” (8) which applies well here. Trying to put our best mental effort into any request would be an inefficient and ill-advised use of our resources (9).

Finding the Balance: Effort, Motivation, and Well-Being

The findings of David et al. (2024) highlight a consideration relevant to both individuals and organizations. Effort expenditures tend to be frustrating, even when those expenditures are worthwhile. We are motivated to exert effort—and face the resulting frustration—only when we believe the goals are worthwhile. And we are unlikely to be motivated to put in more effort than we have to.

But that’s not the mindset we’ve been taught to value or the one that’s reinforced in most organizations. Rather than the Italian proverb quoted by Voltaire, much of the professional world relies on the proverb turned upside down by Jim Collins, who argued that “The good is the enemy of the great.”

Of course, there are times when it’s worth pushing through and striving for greatness, and in that sense, Collins’ advice makes sense. But allocating mental effort as a kind of blank check—where we keep pouring more and more effort toward a particular goal—can also lead to spending a lot of mental effort on requests that aren’t worth the effort.

And so, while good may indeed be his enemy greatwe should be strategic about when we’re trying to go big and when it’s better to just settle for good enough.