The key word "matching" is probably overlooked by the public, but a little research shows that once we have mastered the matching principle, we can master a methodology that applies to everything. That's not an exaggeration, because the matching principle applies to a wide range of things. While I was writing this section, reader "Amy Cao" happened to share some of her experiences with me. I immediately smiled because her experience is the key word "match", so let's start with her story. The first thing she said was running. "Before, I asked myself to run for an hour every day. By sheer willpower, I kept going for quite a long time, but finally I stopped. I recently adjusted my running time to 30 minutes, preferably no less than four times a week. After adjustment, I found that I could do it without relying too much on my willpower, and I would take the initiative to stick to it. Besides, I would be very relaxed after running, unlike before, which would be very tired and uncomfortable if I ran continuously for 1 hour. I can really feel the difference between doing it voluntarily and doing it will-power." The second thing about learning English, she said: "I used to study for 1 hour every day I would be upset, but now I study for 30 minutes every day, when the time is up, I will not study. In this way, I can keep learning every day and not get bored." In the end, she concluded, "It's more important to find a way to do it that you can do it consistently, rather than just doing it in a standardized time and manner. I used to think that it takes more time to learn well and achieve results. In fact, it is because I am eager to achieve results and want to achieve quick results. It is not easy to insist. Now that I have lowered the level of difficulty and standards, my motivation will continue to increase. It may take longer to reach my goals, but I believe that persistence will eventually compound."

How do you feel after reading the story of Amy Cao? In my opinion, the most valuable thing about her is that she can take the initiative to reduce the intensity and difficulty of learning and make herself in the best range of endurance, which not only retains the sense of achievement in learning, but also ensures the challenge of learning. But for most of us, this is counter-intuitive, because when we want to get something done, we often tell ourselves we have to work hard, work hard, set high standards for ourselves, and often give ourselves a "kick in the backside" by telling ourselves that persistence is victory. This is our default mode of thinking, just because it's default doesn't mean it's scientific. So what is the scientific model? The best learning zone is in the stretch zone, the edge of our comfort zone, where we have both achieved and challenged and made the most progress. In fact, it is difficult to match the meaning: neither too hard, nor too easy, easy to moderate the zone is the heart of learning. "Amy Cho" was in the rough zone from the start. Because she wanted to see change quickly, she made a study and training plan far beyond her level, only to give up halfway because the experience was too painful. This is very much like our common motivation model. Many inexperienced young people are like this. They always want to achieve too many, too big goals at the same time, and hope to achieve them in a short time, so they unconsciously push themselves into the difficult zone. They start off in a rush, work hard for a few days, and then quickly run out of steam -- that's why things fall by the wayside. Of course, the matching principle doesn't just apply to learning. It applies to almost every field I can observe. For example, in exercise, every time we push the force, it is actually the process of muscle tearing. This slight tear will make people feel sore but not hurt. After rest and nutrition supplement, the muscle will start to repair and become stronger after repair. It's pushing us out of our comfort zone and into our stretch zone. The same is true for other sports, for example, many people want to lose weight by running, but some people are very hard and rush up, thinking that the pain is evidence of hard work, but it is not, the method given by professional coaches looks more like a lazy practice. For example, the instructor will advise you to jog first, then change to brisk walking when you are slightly out of breath, and then change to jogging when the breath is even, and so on for half an hour. As far as weight loss is concerned, the first 20 minutes of aerobic exercise is dominated by the body's sugar consumption, and the percentage of fat consumption increases significantly after 30 minutes. So we just have to stick to the edge of our comfort zone each time, go back to the edge of our comfort zone, stay there, adjust and then go back to the edge of our comfort zone... And so on. For the next 10 to 15 minutes, try to run as fast as you can or at least a little more intensely than you did in the first 30 minutes to burn more fat because your body is used to the intensity and can move further away from the edge of your comfort zone.