Minimum Effective Dose

The smallest change that still moves the needle - not the heroic overhaul.

Key Concept

• I borrowed it from medicine: enough to work, not more than needed.
• Level 1: Like medicine, use just enough to help - do not keep piling on when more does not help, like one bandage on a small cut, not ten.
• Level 2: Minimum effective dose is enough to work, not more than needed - borrowed from medicine, applied to effort.
• Level 3: More input past the effective point wastes energy - find the smallest dose that still moves the outcome.
• Level 4: Run the pilot, check the result, stop adding steps when nothing improves - doubling effort is not doubling effect.
• Level 5: Pareto Principle and Minimum Viable Product share the same ceiling - hero energy on Low Hanging Fruit violates both.
• Applies to PKM habits, fitness, and side projects.
• More input past the dose is noise - not a heroic overhaul.

Examples

• Ten minutes of flashcards on the jeepney beat an hour of app setup I would never open twice.
• The coach added one footwork drill before buying new shoes - small dose, daily reps, feet learned faster than gear ever did.

Note Relationships