I have seen improvements in my own riding from taking the advice of Veronica and others in other threads just like this. I have a sensor, but I can tell you from watching and observing my actions and then looking to see the outcome on the monitor, if I am spinning so fast that it is hard to keep up with my feet and upper body is bouncing to keep up move it up a gear at a time, until I am spinning just fast enough to not bounce any more and rotation is not jerking, circle smooth. I look and the rpm is up close to 80.
This best way to describe it that I think.