When Always Giving 100 Percent Becomes a Burden

I recently came across an episode of Amy Poehler’s podcast featuring Rashida Jones, and they discussed a subject that resonates with many readers: the pressure to always give everything you have.

The conversation raised a straightforward question: At what point do you reduce your personal standards—or the effort you bring to your work and other areas of life? Even after stepping back, do you still give more than most people around you?

Amy Poehler: One of the reasons I wanted to do this podcast is that I’ve watched so many men do the bare minimum.

Rashida Jones: Is this your bare minimum?

Amy Poehler: I’m truly giving 25 percent, which is 75 percent for most people. But enough is enough. Enough with the 100 percent—and enough with constantly improving ourselves and listening to all the things we’re supposedly supposed to do to get better and better.

Many readers have shared similar reflections, and I agree. At several points in my life, I recognized that I was contributing more than necessary and consciously reduced my effort. During my second year at a law firm, for example, I told myself: “This is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t burn out.”

I also share Poehler’s frustration with the relentless pressure to keep improving. Society has no shortage of advice about what women ought to do better. I appreciate the growing pushback, including the “Don’t Care Club” and the widespread embrace of the phrase “zero f*cks given.”

Have you ever consciously reduced your standards or effort at work, at home, or elsewhere? What moment made you realize you were doing too much?

Does your 25 percent still feel like someone else’s 75 percent? Have you concluded that some of the things you once devoted considerable effort to did not actually matter?

How do you feel about the constant pressure to improve? Are you still committed to becoming a better version of yourself, or have you stopped believing that everything about you needs to be optimized?

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