Do 10 Percent Less So You Can Do Much More

By Samantha Koehn, LSCW, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Consultant for Intermountain Desert Region, St. George Regional Hospital

In America, we have fallen into “hustle culture,” where we have forgotten how to relax. We inevitably fill every spare moment with something. Outside of our regular full-time work week, most of us are pulled in multiple directions, running a hundred miles an hour with little rest and rejuvenation. We think we must do it all, be it all, and accomplish it all if we are to be successful. We stay so busy and overwhelmed that we lose the joy of being able to take in the moments.

According to the American Institute of Stress, “Chronic stress is commonplace at work, with 94 percent of workers reporting feeling stress at work. Additionally, the current stress level experienced by Americans is twenty percentage points higher than the global average.”*

A glass can only hold so much liquid before it overflows and becomes ineffective. A chair can only hold so much weight before it breaks. Humans are no different: we can only do so much before there’s nothing left to give.

There is a lot of power to the statement “Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.” But the reality is that we usually take care of ourselves last. As a result, we experience increased stress, higher levels of job and relationship dissatisfaction, anxiety, and depression. Too much of this, without any rest, can become extremely debilitating, causing isolation and a withdrawal from others. Stress management consultant and Mayo-trained family physician Dr. Dike Drummond said, “Acknowledge that you are human. Recognize that rest is not a sign of weakness, and give yourself the ability to recharge.”

So what do we do when it feels like we are bursting at the seams and about ready to explode? I want you to ask yourself this question: “Can I do 10 percent less?”

10 percent less of an A is an A-, which is still passing.

10 percent less of one hundred dollars is still ninety dollars, which is still a good amount of money.

10 percent less of an hour is still fifty-four minutes, which is still enough time to be productive.

Look at the different areas in your life where you feel that you must give 100 percent of yourself 100 percent of the time. Are there certain areas of your life where you can give 10 percent less? I want you to realize that doing less of something does not mean that you are giving less than quality effort or failing. After all, an A- is still an A.

Let’s do some simple math. Can you leave the dishes in the sink this evening so you can spend more time with your children? . . . 10 percent less.

Can you say no to an extra project at work? . . . 10 percent less.

Can you decline an invitation to a social gathering for which you don’t have the energy?... 10 percent less.

If you said yes to any of these things, you potentially just created 30 percent for something else. The goal with creating more space is to allow you the ability to disconnect from the hustle and connect with the things that recharge you. These are the things that intrinsically help keep you going. What are you passionate about? What excites you in life? Make room for more of that!

To learn more about EAP and its vital resources for every caregiver, visit intermountainhealthcare.org/employee-assistance-program.

Source: https://www.stress.org/

About the Author

Samantha Koehn has been working in the mental health field since 2014. She graduated with her Masters of Social Work from the University of Utah in 2017 with an emphasis in mental health. She has been working for Intermountain since 2016 and currently works as a Employee Assistance Program Consultant, providing therapy for Intermountain employees and their families. Outside of work, you will find her trying to keep up with her energetic toddler, getting outside with her family and two dogs, and playing a few different musical instruments.