Microsucks

Increase Your Tenacity Tomorrow by Doing Something That (Slightly) Sucks (Briefly) Today

Jul 02, 2025

What’s the worst part of the marathon for me?

Miles 21 through 24.

You’re far enough in to be exhausted, but not close enough to feel the finish line. It’s the middle. And the middle sucks. But that’s also where tenacity is born.

Which brings me to a simple practice that builds grit when it matters most.

It’s called the Microsuck.

What’s a Microsuck?

A Microsuck is a brief, non-injurious, high-effort task that you do on purpose—especially when you really don’t feel like it.

It's like flossing one extra tooth. Again.
Pointless. Annoying. And exactly what strengthens your mental game.

This idea is rooted in neuroscience. Dr. Andrew Huberman, a professor at Stanford, puts it like this:

“To build willpower, you need to succeed at willpower—especially when you’re depleted.”

Tenacity isn’t something you think about. It’s something you train.

How to Microsuck (Without Hating Yourself)

Pick a goal-relevant activity that’s hard—but brief.
Example: If you're training for a marathon, tack on an extra 200 meters at the end.
Do it when you least want to.
After a brutal workout. At the end of a long day. When the weather sucks.
Do it anyway.
No drama. No bargaining. Just do it.
Reflect—briefly.
You didn’t want to. You did it anyway. That’s the rep that matters.

Examples of Microsucks

20 extra push-ups after arm day
Clean the basement after cleaning the garage
Go an extra hour without your phone after a tech-free dinner
Run hard when you’re tired—not when you’re amped

Each one reinforces the same message:

“I finish what I start—even when it’s inconvenient.”

Why It Works

Microsucks build the muscle of deliberate discomfort.
They’re small enough to avoid burnout, but real enough to create a psychological shift.

You’re no longer just enduring hard things. You’re choosing them. You become the kind of person who persists. The kind who—like David Goggins says—doesn’t quit when tired, only when the job is done.

That’s the real power:
Voluntary hardship, properly dosed, strengthens your capacity to persist not just in workouts, but in work, parenting, relationships, and decision-making.

Don’t Be a Yoked Rat

Let’s talk about rats. Treadmill rats, to be specific.

Rats love running on treadmills. Give them one in their cage or in the middle of a field, and they’ll hop on, unprompted. It’s like Disney World for rats.

And guess what? These treadmill-loving rats get healthier. They have lower stress (cortisol) levels, fewer tumors, and longer lives.

Now meet the yoked rat.

The yoked rat is rigged to run because another rat is running. It’s not choosing to run—it's being dragged along. And it hates it.

Yoked rats have elevated cortisol, ulcers, and shorter lifespans.
Sometimes they even grow tumors out of their eyeballs.

Same physical output. Totally different biological result.
Because choice matters.

It’s the difference between being a person who runs outside in -20° because they want to…
…or the person at LA Fitness, dead-eyed on a treadmill, watching those people through the window.

Don’t be a yoked rat.

What’s Your Microsuck?

Tenacity isn’t forged by grand gestures.
It’s shaped by tiny moments where you say:

“One more set. One more rep. One more mile.”

So tell me—
What sucked today?
(…besides reading this post.)