Definition of EffortWise

My name is Dave Wolovsky, and I'm a teacher and coach based in Brooklyn, NY. I have created this site to synthesize all of my experiences, training, and research in one place. The main experiences I refer to include: studying Positive Psychology, studying neuroscience and education, practicing yoga and Tai Chi to rehabilitate my knee after years of injuries and finally ACL surgery.

These experiences, among others, have provided the basis for my current work, which is studying the mechanisms of physical and psychological growth, and help people find the right tools to navigate their own living process.

EffortWise is my name for the practice of balancing the opposites of doing and not-doing. As living processes, our experience is cyclical, while also always changing. Life is full of seeming paradoxes that all get resolved when you slow down and zoom in enough to see the nuance. We need balanced opposites. Injury (physical and mental) occurs from prolonged imbalance.

EffortWise also refers to the following equation that I made up. Growth = Effort x Rest. Effort and rest need to be balanced in order to maximize growth. When they are out of balance, growth slows down, and injury eventually results. Wise effort means balancing effort and rest, being deliberate about when and how we exert effort, and when and how we allow ourselves to rest. When effort and rest are well balanced, we grow easily, with less suffering. This is because we are a living process. Our level of functioning is based on how alive we feel.

When we view the world through the philosophical lens of living processes and the practical lens of experiencing aliveness, life gets really simple. Aliveness is the feeling that simply being alive is amazing and enough. The more aliveness we can feel, the more it spreads through our system and our communities. The more aliveness we spark in ourselves, the more we spark in others, and the more we spark in others, the more easily it comes back to us.

I have spent many years trying to figure out the most effective methods for teaching people how to learn. After a long time searching, I now know that it is simple. Humans learn by connecting to other humans. The way we grow and transform is in safe interactions and kind relationships. We must constantly be willing to fall apart in order to become stronger and smarter, and we are only willing to fall apart when we feel emotionally safe enough.

This is what I most deeply try to provide for myself, a safe place to fall apart. This is also what I most deeply try to provide for others. I do it through coaching and teaching.