Don’t Step Over $100 Bills to Pick Up Pennies: Why Living the 80/20 Life is Better Than Chasing Perfection
Perfection is a trap. And in fitness and health, it’s often the biggest reason people fail to make progress.
We all know someone who’s “starting over” again Monday… or “waiting until the timing is right”… or gets derailed because they missed a workout or ate one “bad” meal. The mindset behind that? It’s this idea that if it’s not perfect, it doesn’t count.
That’s a lie.
Here’s the truth:
You don’t need to be perfect—you just need to be consistent.
Why 80% Consistency Puts You Ahead of 90% of People
Most people are not struggling with minor food choices or workout optimization.
They’re struggling to do the basics consistently:
- Getting 7–8 hours of sleep
- Eating mostly real food
- Getting 3–4 workouts per week
- Drinking water instead of soda
- Walking more than they sit
Doing these things 80% of the time? That puts you in the top 10% of health outcomes—easily. But most people are doing the reverse:
20% healthy, 80% whatever. That’s not a sustainable formula.
Don't Let Perfection Be the Enemy of Progress
When you chase 100% perfection, you create a fragile system.One missed day feels like failure.One bad meal turns into a bad weekend.A missed workout becomes a skipped week. But when you aim for 80% consistency, you leave room for real life.You build a lifestyle that bends but doesn’t break.
What Does 80% Look Like?
It looks like:
- 4 solid workouts in a week—not 7
- Cooking dinner 5 nights—ordering out twice
- Tracking your food most of the time—enjoying a date night without guilt
- Going to bed by 10:30pm five nights—letting Friday run late because your friends are in town
80% lets you be human and still make progress.
It protects your habits from all-or-nothing thinking.
The Fitness Industry Glorifies Extremes—Ignore It
You’ll see influencers telling you:
- “NEVER eat seed oils”
- “ALWAYS fast 16 hours”
- “You MUST train legs twice a week or you’re wasting time”
Here’s the filter:
If the advice sounds like a cult slogan, toss it out.The truth is, what works is what you’ll stick with. And you’re far more likely to stick with a strategy that allows flexibility than one that demands perfection.
Aim for 80% Across the Big 3
Let’s make this practical. The Big 3 are:
- Sleep: Give yourself at least 8 hours of sleep opportunity, 5+ nights per week
- Nutrition: Eat protein with every meal, cut out liquid calories, and cook at home more often than not
- Exercise: Get 2–3 full-body lifts or an upper/lower split per week + daily walking or general movement
Hit those with 80% consistency, and your body will change.
Your energy will spike.
Your brain will be sharper.
And you’ll build habits that actually last.
The 20% Isn’t Failure—It’s Flexibility
That extra piece of cake? The skipped gym day? The lazy Sunday?
That’s your 20%.
It doesn’t erase your progress—it helps make the process sustainable.
80/20 doesn’t mean you don’t try.
It means you stop self-sabotaging when life isn’t perfect.
Stop Chasing Perfect. Start Chasing Progress.
The people you see who are “fit” and thriving? They’re not perfect. They’re just consistent. They don’t start over every Monday because they didn’t “fall off” over the weekend. They bounce back faster. They know a B+ week is still a passing grade. And they stack those weeks over and over.
So don’t step over $100 bills to pick up pennies.
Don’t obsess over minutiae while ignoring the foundations.
Nail the basics.
Be consistent.
Show up more often than not.
And watch your life change.
