Effort Zones

Hey there !

I hope you’re working on a project right now. And when I say project, I mean … any project.

Maybe your project is your health : you are working on living a long life full of energy. Maybe you’re aiming for a promotion at work. Maybe you’re building your own company or raising your child. Or maybe your current project is to build an audience.

Whatever it is. Please keep your own project in mind as you read this article.

Got it? Great. Let’s dive in.

First, a little introduction.

I’m Guillaume Loiseau. I’m 37, from Belgium, and I currently live in Bogotá, Colombia. I work in marketing technology (Salesforce to be precise) and also run my own e-commerce brand.

But this article is something else. It’s the start of something I’m passionate about: effort zones. (And maybe one day, all the articles will lead to the book, who knows).

Effort zones ?

Before I explain to you the concept, let me tell you a bit more about how this idea came to me.

Few years ago, I used to live in Barcelona, Spain. Beautiful city. Sea and mountains. What more could you ask for? If you haven’t been yet, I strongly recommend to add it to your list.

While I was there, I got into triathlon. Long story short, I started training and, before I knew it, I was hooked. I trained very hard for over two years and completed more than ten triathlons of different distances. Let me tell you, it’s not an easy sport. It has 3 different disciplines and the training takes up your life. You live, eat, sleep, and dream triathlon.

But training hard every day is still not enough. To make real progress, you need a plan.

Wait… is this article about triathlon ? Nope… Bear with me few more lines, we’re getting there.

If you want to see what a professional training plan looks like ? Go check this page.

But I understand that this is not for everyone. So let me make it simple. I am sure you are wondering why I am sharing this. But it’s important for the rest of the article.

Simplified training plan for a triathlon:

If you want to see progress, you have to push your limits and increase the effort level. But first… as simple as it sounds, you need to know your limits.

Building this kind of plan should be tailored to your own capacities.

So most of the training plans start with a simple test to know your zones. The zones look like this:

As you can see, in the Training Effort column, we mention percentages. Simply because everyone has a different max heart rate. So as I was saying, the first step will be to know your zone. Which, in this case, begins by knowing your max heart rate (and there are several tests available to know it).

Now, think of life as having effort zones too.

Comfort zone vs. Effort Zones

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”? – Neale Donald Walsch

Very nice quote isn’t it ?

As a matter of fact, everyone talks about the comfort zone. You know, that safe space where things feel easy. But it’s also a dangerous zone where there is no progress.

So what do we need to do ? Get out of it !

But here’s the thing: while there’s only one comfort zone, there are many effort zones.

I used to be a very shy person. And a lot of people were telling me to get out of my comfort zone. Easy peasy isn’t it ??

Oh you are shy to talk to this girl ? Well… don’t be ! Just go !

Right…

Does that mean that I need to host a TED talk tomorrow in front of 10.000 people if I am scared about public speaking ? Of course not. I will completely fail and it will reinforce my frustration and my shyness.?

So, same as per a triathlon training plan, I need to know where I am before starting. And then create an action plan.

Let’s take another example. Let’s say that your goal is to build a bodybuilder physique. Will I tell you : well … just go and lift this 200 kg bar and push it. Because that’s how bodybuilders do.

Of course not. You will most probably die suffocating under the weight.

We will first analyze where you are now. And go little by little.

How does it works ?

Let’s get back to the training plan for a minute.

This time, I have highlighted the week 1, 4 and 7 in green. Those are your comfort / recovery periods.

When you start, week 1 should feel easy. That’s your comfort zone. By week 3, you’re pushing harder. By week 4, it’s “active recovery,” which feels easy compared to week 3, but it’s still harder than week 1.

And that’s the secret.

It’s all about building on what you did before. Little by little, you raise the intensity. You grow stronger, faster, better. And what was your Effort Zone 2 yesterday, becomes your new Comfort Zone.

Little by little, your comfort zone grow bigger.

Now, imagine applying that same principle to your life. Whether it’s your career, your health, or any other project, the key is the same: start small, push your limits a little bit, recover, and repeat. Over a year, or even a lifetime, the results will be incredible.

Life isn’t about one giant leap. It’s about knowing where you are, pushing your limits a little every day, and enjoying the progress along the way.

Let me finish by this quote from Robert Collier which illustrates this article perfectly.

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.

Where your definition of success should be your definition of success.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think in the comments!

About me

My name is Guillaume Loiseau. I am the founder of KAZARTT and Double T Agency. I am passionate about sport, personal development and continuously learning and growing.