When deciding how fast to ramp up physical training, say you’re preparing for a marathon, there is a simple rule of thumb. Training load, which can be thought of as the combination of volume and intensity, is increased by a maximum of ~10% each week. Particularly in the case of less experienced athletes.
Abiding by this well-worn principle decreases the chance of injury and burnout, allows for training adaptation to occur, and maximises the likelihood that the athlete will stick with the program for the duration.
We understand this intuitively for physical pursuits. Anyone who has ever taken up a new sport has experienced the bodily sensations associated with challenging the body in novel ways and can feel when they might be doing too much.
But strangely we don’t seem to apply the same logic to our mental training.
In one sense this could be due to how we frame mental practices, by which I mean things such a meditation, mindfulness, journaling, central governor manipulation, exposure therapy, etc. We might not instinctively think of them as such, but these are forms of training. We not only do them for the pleasure of ‘doing’ itself, although many can be inherently rewarding. We practice for the benefit they can provide in many other contexts. Meditation, for instance, helps us notice the contents of our consciousness throughout the day, not just when we are on the cushion.
Marry the faulty heuristic of ‘more, is more’ with the lack of possible physical injury, and it’s easy to understand why some people try to do too much too quickly. They want the ‘results’. But therein lies the danger.
Of course, we want our training to stretch and challenge us. That’s kind of the point. The training is difficult, we will slip, over and over, and that’s OK, that’s the path. But for those new to these type of practices, experiencing and examining their own mind to a high degree can prove highly unpalatable. Which can be felt more acutely with a lack of skill, wisdom and context.
When we start doing anything where there is a high likelihood that we are unskilled and unadept. We need time to develop our abilities, to try different approaches, to iterate and build on what we learn. By jumping in with a high mental training-load, we risk on only not knowing how to deal with the volume of new arisings that can surface but also potentially solidifying bad habits and clumsy techniques for addressing them.
As tempting as it might be to try and go from zero to enlightenment by signing up for a month-long silent retreat with no foundation of practice, most people would be much better served following the 10% rule.