The 85% Rule - The Power of Doing Less at Work

In our fast-paced world that's constantly pushing for perfection, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle cycle. 

In this podcast episode we're diving into a pressing work-life issue raised by a listener, Brittany, who feels overwhelmed by the constant chase for productivity. Here's a breakdown of the key insights and actionable steps to break free from this exhausting loop.

Understanding the Problem

People often tie their self-worth to productivity, leading to a relentless pursuit of goals that eventually cause burnout. High achievers frequently feel guilty for taking breaks and continually set higher goals without pausing to celebrate achievements.

The 85% Rule: A Sustainable Solution

The solution to breaking free from the overwork trap lies in adopting the 85% Rule, a concept embraced by elite athletes and now gaining traction in workplaces for fostering sustainable productivity. By aiming for 85% instead of 100%, you allow room for rest, creativity, and efficiency without hitting the burnout threshold.

Steps to Implement the 85% Rule

1. Awareness and Dialogue: Begin by discussing the impact of current work expectations with your manager or team. Propose workshops to share the science and benefits of the 85% philosophy, paving the way for healthier work practices.
2. Set Compassionate Goals: Shift from pushing your limits to setting realistic, achievable targets. Recognize the importance of pacing yourself for long-term success rather than short-term perfection.
3. Cultivate Wellbeing: Introduce wellness programs at work to balance physical and mental health. From meditation to ergonomic training, these initiatives support a more holistic approach to work.
4. Mindset Shift: Evaluate your performance based on qualitative measures like creativity and teamwork, not just quantitative outputs. Encourage a culture that values innovation alongside traditional productivity metrics

Check out our full podcast episode for a deeper dive into these concepts.

Remember to leave us a review for a chance to win a Starbucks gift card this month. Your wellbeing is worth the investment!

00:00 Welcome and Listener Question

02:00 Signs Youre Hustling Wrong

03:43 Introducing the 85% Rule

05:31 Athletes and the 85% Sweet Spot

08:53 Why 100% Backfires at Work

11:35 Science of Sustainable Effort

14:55 How to Apply the 85% Rule

19:01 Mindset Shift and Wrap Up

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Transcript

 Hi, friends. Welcome to the pod. How are you guys doing? I hope you guys are staying cool if it's hot in your neck of the woods, too. The past week, though, the weather was beautiful, and I hope so we go back to, like, upper 70s and that nice breeze during the day Today, I'm diving into a work-life question which is asked by one of our listeners, Brittany. So Brittany asks, "I always catch myself chasing the next goal to increase my productivity, but I constantly end up feeling overworked and overwhelmed. How do I break this exhausting hustle cycle without feeling guilty for taking a pause?" First of all, Brittany, thank you for asking the question, and I completely understand where you're coming from because I have overworked myself in past, like, so many times. But I wanna tell you, you can absolutely be productive without overworking and without exhaustion. So today, we are gonna talk about this. What I've noticed in my experience working with female founders, working with other high-achieving women, the challenge that we often face is the trap of using ambition as an escape or tying our self-worth strictly to our daily output. Breaking this cycle requires a mindset shift from doing more to prioritizing sustainable self-care. So here are some signs that you are chasing the wrong cycle. So the first thing I notice in a lot of strivers and overachievers is that they feel guilt during resting, right? So if they were to take a rest day or a day off, they often complain, "Oh my gosh, I'm so guilty of not doing that work." And that's exactly what Brittany also said, right? So feeling anxious or lazy when you're not actively working, it doesn't mean that you don't need rest, right? Or, and it doesn't mean that you have to be on all the time. But that's one of the signs. Second sign is that high-achieving professionals are often moving the goalpost. So once they're done with one project or one task, they immediately shift to the next objective after an achievement instead of slowing down, taking time to celebrate it. And then the third thing, which is kind of like the most dangerous for people's mental and physical health, but at the same time is something that happens so often and I notice it so often in professionals, is burnout as the baseline. They only feel validated or productive when they are completely exhausted. So, like, you literally can't move anymore, and then you're like, "Oh, I think, you know, I gave it a- my all," and that's the only way to be productive, and that's completely not r- true. So I understand that this concept might sound, like, counterintuitive to you, which I'm gonna introduce to you today, but it's probably just the missing piece in our modern work puzzle, which is the 85% rule. In today's fast-paced corporate world and in business world, the spotlight often shines on one metric, productivity. We are applauded for our capacity to churn out work with the mythical 100% productivity level dangling in front of us like a golden carrot. But let's pause. That's right, let's pause and rethink. What if, in this relentless quest for absolute perfection, we are actually missing the mark? Incorporating the 85% rule into your workplace isn't just about changing a number on a performance sheet. It's about embracing a new philosophy of work, one that values sustainability, wellbeing, and holistic growth for you so that you can go on for your whole career for a long time. And let me ask you this. What if the real secret to a productive life isn't in pushing ourselves to the absolute brink, but in aiming for a more sustainable 85%? So I wanna dive into the science behind this rule because I wanna back it up with evidence. To understand why aiming at 100% can backfire, we are gonna take a look at the world of elite athletics. And you know it, I'm a distance runner, and I train very, very hard for my marathons, so I figured, you know, a running example would be great. Now, I want you to think about Olympic sprinters. The 100-meter dash requires intense bursts of power, speed, and focus. You might assume that to win, a sprinter needs to push their body to the absolute max. White-knuckled maximum capacity we are talking about. But let me tell you, sprinting legends like Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt, they actually follow a different philosophy. Yes, I'm talking about Usain Bolt, the fastest man on this earth. They don't push to 100%. A sprint coach once observed Carl Lewis, and he noticed a fascinating phenomenon, which I'm gonna share with you right here. Lewis would often be the last or second to last place at the 40-meter, meter mark, but he would consistently surge past the pack to win the 100-meter race. How? By staying completely relaxed. Other runners around him would be, like, pushing harder, clenching their fists, and they're, like, scrunching their faces. You can actually see it, how hard it is for them to run, which actually creates physical tension, and that slows your body down. But if you ever get a chance and, you play any of the, past, like, track and field,, competitions, you'll see Lewis is focused on maintaining his form and keeping his effort at a measured 85% capacity. And most elite Olympic runners are actually taught to push at that 85% capacity till the hit very, last few meters of their race. So for a marathon, that's like last 400 meters or 800 meters, nothing more than that. Like, you can't really push at 100% prior to that because you'll hit a wall. So if you think about it, this same phenomenon translates to human learning and development as well Researchers at the University of Arizona found that optimal accuracy and learning for both humans and artificial intelligence happens right around an 85% sweet spot. When tasks are too easy, we get bored. And when we push for 100% accuracy and effort, we end up straining ourselves, leading to brain fatigue, errors, and exhaustion. We get trapped with aiming for 100% productivity because we're conditioned to believe that it's the gold standard of efficiency. Yet, if you take a deep dive, you'll find out it's not true. Let me tell you why, because I have noticed this in many organizations and talking to many of my friends and my clients, that employees who are pushing relentlessly for this elusive 100% often find themselves on the brink of exhaustion. They're just constantly tired, like chronically tired. So imagine running a marathon at sprint speed. Unsustainable, right? It's completely un- unsustainable. You'll hit the wall, and it's unhealthy. What's the cost? Burnout, decreased mental wellbeing, and ironically, a dip in true productivity. You're not gonna be productive. I'm to give y- I'm going to give you a client's example here My client, Sarah, she works at a fintech firm. She's always chasing perfection. Sounds like me, honestly. She works late nights, skips meals, and even sacrifices weekends. But her relentless chase has led her to chronic fatigue syndrome. She has high blood pressure, constant neck pain or cervical spine pain, and eventually she had to take a two-month medical leave. Now, there is a sweet spot, though, for us where we can work and we can also be productive. A business author, his name is Greg McKeown, in his book, Effortlessly, I highly recommend that you read that book, he shares this amazing perspective shift, suggesting 85% as the sweet spot of productivity. It's not about doing less, but doing it sustainably. At 85%, employees can maintain consistency, quality, and enthusiasm without burning the candle at both ends. It also encourages a culture where work is essential, but so is wellbeing. It's about giving your best most days without overwhelming pressure of perfection. Now, the science behind 85%, where there's a whole layer of science, both psychological and physiological, that underpins our capacity to work effectively. Let's dissect it a little bit further. I know I gave you the example of sports. Let's address the body and our physiology first. As an exercise physiologist, I'll tell you, I've worked with so many athletes who overtrain and get injured, and at the same time, I work with so many busy professionals too, who overwork and They get sick. So smart and experienced athletes know that rest and recovery is part of the training and being productive. Just as athletes can't constantly push their bodies to max without risking injury, employees can't constantly push their minds and their bodies to the brink without detrimental effects. Our brains, like muscles, require periods of rest to recover and regenerate. When we consistently operate at 100%, we are essentially in a state of chronic mental overtraining, which can lead to burnout, decreased cognitive function, and even mental health issues. Now, the psychological perspective aiming for 100% productivity can inadvertently set us up for a binary perspective like black and white, right? Perfection or failure. This doesn't leave room for any gray area of learning, growth, and innovation, which happens when we are allowed to make mistakes and then go back and reiterate, right? By setting a productivity goal of 85%, you're mentally allowing yourself that buffer to experiment, fail, learn, and ultimately grow. Now, neuroscience also supports this. Our brain operates in cycles with periods of high alertness followed by periods of rest. So these are called ultradian rhythms. I hope I pronounced it correctly. Typically, after 90 minutes of very intense work, our brain signals need a 20-minute break. 20 minute is ideal, but, you know, a 10 minute would do, too. Pushing beyond this natural cycle by aiming for constant 100% productivity can lead to diminishing returns in focus and output. And sometimes I've noticed myself, like if I'm, you know, just going on for two hours straight, the last half hour, I start getting really tired and I'm yawning, like my brain wants more oxygen, and I start getting sleepy. There's a reason for that, because 90 minute is that ultradian rhythm sequence. So how can you implement the 85% rule in your work life now that you understand what that is? Here are a few steps that I recommend to make this shift First one would be to begin with awareness. Before diving into changes, initiate a dialogue with your boss or your manager. They might not be aware of how this expectation that they have set for you or the organization has set for you is hurting you. Propose to host workshops or seminars for the whole team to benefit. It might be that you're not the only one who's struggling on your team And make sure that those workshops share the science and philosophy behind the eighty-five percent rule. Employees are more likely to embrace a change when they understand its rationale and potential benefits. Go ahead and mention our podcast, Nine to Five Wellness podcast, to your manager next time. Second, set realistic, compassionate goals personally. Start rethinking the way you set targets for yourself. While it's essential to maintain ambition, ensure your goals are both challenging and achievable. Instead of pushing to your limits every single time, spread those goals out. You're in it for the long game, remember? You don't have to get it all done in a week or even a month. And work at different intensities throughout the day, throughout the week. And lastly, foster a culture of wellbeing not only for yourself and your family, but for your team at work. Move away from the all work and no play mindset. Introduce wellness programs that cater to both physical and mental health. This could range from meditation sessions and ergonomic workshops to even short breaks for relaxation. Remember, a well-rested you and employee is a more productive one. And remember to bring everyone, like your team members and people from other department into this communication. You don't have to do it alone, right? Create safe spaces for employees to voice their concerns if you're a manager. If you are an employee yourself, uh, you can ask your team members to gather together, share your concern, and maybe bring it up to the management. Share your experience. Offer feedback, whether it's through regular check-ins, town hall meetings, or just anonymous like feedback systems. Maybe there's a box that you can put feedback into. Ensure that there's always a two-way communication channel between your team and management And lastly, I think this is something personal that I would suggest you do on your end. I want you to start shifting your mindset. Rethink your own assessment metrics. I think a lot of pressure is set on us by us, right? So shift the focus from purely quantitative outputs to more qualitative ones. This means valuing creativity, innovation, teamwork, and problem-solving skills as much as, if not more than, just that number on the spreadsheet. In a world that often glor- glorifies... In a world that often glorifies the hustle, the 85% rule will offer you a refreshing, sustainable, and ironically, more productive alternative. Implementing it, I'm gonna tell you, is gonna require intention. It's gonna require a mindset shift. It's gonna require a little bit of effort, at least initially, right? And a genuine commitment to your wellbeing, and not only of your wellbeing, but the wellbeing of your team. But I have to tell you here, the rewards, both in terms of output and employee happiness, make it well worth the effort. Thank you so much for joining us today live on the stream, and for listening to this podcast. If you like this podcast episode, please leave us a review wherever you listen to the podcast. For the month of June, I'll be drawing one lucky winner who leaves a review for 9 to 5 Wellness Podcast, and they will win a $25 Starbucks gift card. So, thank you so much again. Bye.