Compromise-Effect Workload Ladder
Define low, medium, and high outputs so a daunting task has an achievable middle.
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 94%
Before beginning a measurable task, define three outputs: low, medium, and high. The low tier should be easy enough to make starting credible, the medium tier should represent a solid session, and the high tier should remain ambitious. Commit to marking the task complete after reaching any tier, preventing perfectionism from turning a modest day into a perceived failure. The method applies the compromise effect—the tendency to avoid extremes and select a middle option—to personal workload planning. In practice, the medium target often becomes attractive once the person starts. For a larger project, combine the ladder with chunking so each tier refers to a concrete unit such as words drafted, pages revised, or problems solved. Add a small immediate reward to increase the present benefit of doing the work.
Origin
Extracted from Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal, where Dr Grace Lordan described adapting the marketing concept of the compromise effect to her writing workload and testing it with friends.
Core principles
- 01People tend to avoid extreme options and select the middle.
- 02A range of acceptable outputs reduces all-or-nothing thinking.
- 03Every completed tier should count as progress.
- 04Large projects become approachable when translated into concrete units.
- 05Immediate rewards can increase the present benefit of starting.
How to run it
- 1
Select a Concrete Output
Choose a unit that can be counted or clearly verified within one work session. Examples include words drafted, slides revised, or questions completed.
Pro tip Measure output rather than vague effort where the work permits it.
Watch out Do not use a metric that rewards low-quality activity unrelated to the real task.
- 2
Set the Low Tier
Define a small output that makes starting easy but still creates useful progress. Promise that reaching it will count.
Pro tip Use the smallest unit that would make tomorrow's task easier.
Watch out The low tier should be modest, not meaningless.
- 3
Set the Medium Tier
Define the amount that would make the session feel solid and realistic. This is the compromise option between minimal and ambitious performance.
Pro tip Base it on a sustainable pace rather than your best-ever session.
Watch out If the medium tier is secretly a stretch goal, the effect is lost.
- 4
Set the High Tier
Define an ambitious output for days when energy, time, and momentum are favourable. Keep it optional.
Pro tip Let the high tier provide upside without becoming the expected baseline.
Watch out Do not treat failure to hit the high tier as failure of the session.
- 5
Work and Close the Loop
Begin with the low tier and continue while momentum is useful. Mark the task complete after reaching any defined tier.
Pro tip Track which tier you reach to calibrate future targets.
Watch out Moving the thresholds during the session recreates an endless target.
- 6
Deliver the Reward
Use a modest preselected reward after completing a tier. This raises the immediate benefit of work whose larger payoff is distant.
Pro tip Choose a reward that does not undermine the next scheduled task.
Watch out Do not make the reward so elaborate that it becomes another source of delay.
In the wild
An author defines 150 words as low output, 500 as medium, and 900 as high. Reaching 150 will count, so opening the document feels manageable. Once started, the unfinished argument pulls her forward and she reaches 500 words, then marks the session complete and takes a planned walk.
→ The author starts reliably and produces a useful medium output without demanding an exceptional day.
A student sets five practice questions as low, fifteen as medium, and twenty-five as high. On a tired evening he completes five and stops without calling the day a failure; on the following morning momentum carries him through fifteen.
→ The range preserves consistency across variable energy levels.
Common mistakes
Making Low Output Worthless
A token action that creates no progress may feel manipulative. The minimum should be small but genuinely useful.
Treating High as the Real Goal
If only the highest tier feels acceptable, the framework collapses back into perfectionism.
Choosing Vague Tiers
Terms such as “work a little” cannot close a loop. Define observable outputs before starting.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for measurable work such as writing, studying, editing, outreach, or data processing.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for safety-critical work where anything below a fixed standard is unacceptable.
From the transcript
“define what a low output looks like, define what a medium output looks like. And define what a high output looks like.”
“regardless of which one I'll hit, I'll mark it off on my to do list.”
“most of the time I hit Museum, and I've tried it on some friends now. And they hit this medium output as well.”
From the episode
How To Build The Career You Want - Professor Of Behavioural Science Dr Grace Lordan