Latest / Work-Life Balance with Fexingo: Boundaries, Time Management, and Avoiding Career Overload / How the 70 Percent Rule Prevents Career Burnout
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this rule I keep coming back to lately, and it feels almost anti-American in how simple it is. It's called the seventy percent rule, and it basically says: aim to work at seventy percent of your maximum capacity, not ninety or a hundred. Luna: Seventy percent? That sounds like a recipe for getting fired, honestly. Lucas: I know, right? But hear me out. It comes from a study of software developers at a large tech company. Teams that were deliberately staffed at seventy percent capacity were about twenty percent more productive in the long run, and their burnout rates were half of teams running at ninety percent. Luna: Wait, so they did more with less? How does that work? Lucas: The researchers think it's about slack. When you're at ninety percent, any unexpected task throws you into a panic spiral. You context-switch, you cut corners, you make mistakes. At seventy percent, you have room to absorb the unexpected, to think, to actually do quality work. It's like the opposite of Parkinson's Law. Luna: Parkinson's Law — work expands to fill the time available. So the seventy percent rule is like a counterforce to that. Lucas: Exactly. And I think for most of us, the problem isn't that we don't have enough to do. It's that we've normalized this state of being perpetually at a hundred and ten percent. And we've convinced ourselves that's the only way to be valuable. Luna: It's almost like a badge of honor to say you're so busy. But the science says you're actually worse at your job. Lucas: Right. And there's a physiological layer to it too. When you're chronically overloaded, your body is in a low-grade fight or flight state. Cortisol is up, your prefrontal cortex — the part that handles complex reasoning — literally downshifts. You become reactive instead of thoughtful. Decisions get worse. Luna: So it's not just about feeling tired. It's about your actual cognitive performance taking a hit. Lucas: Exactly. I read this great line from a researcher: 'Overload doesn't just exhaust you, it makes you dumber.' And that's the thing — we think we're doing ourselves a favor by pushing, but we're degrading the very thing we're trying to contribute. Luna: Okay, so I get the concept, but how do you actually apply it? I can't just tell my boss, 'Sorry, I'm only going to work at seventy percent today.' Lucas: You're right, you can't say it like that. But you can start by auditing your calendar and finding the white space. Block out two hours a week that are protected thinking time. No meetings, no calls, no email. Just you and your hardest problem. Luna: And what do you do when a meeting request comes in for that time? Because they always do. Lucas: You decline it. Politely, but firmly. You say, 'I have a conflicting commitment.' And you don't apologize. The more you treat that white space as sacred, the more your team starts to respect it. But it takes practice. Luna: I guess that's the hard part — the guilt. I feel like if I'm not constantly available, someone's going to think I'm slacking. Lucas: That's the fear, and it's real. But here's the thing — and let me be honest with you for a second. This podcast, all three hundred shows, they're ad-free and that's only because a small group of listeners chips in a few bucks a month through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's not a lot, but it's enough to keep the lights on. Luna: Yeah, and honestly, the fact that we don't have to chase advertisers means we can have conversations like this — actually go deep on something instead of rushing to a break. Lucas: Right. And I think that's a good metaphor for the seventy percent rule. When you're not constantly scrambling to fill every slot with something that feels urgent, you have space to do the thing that actually matters. Anyway — back to the fear of being seen as lazy. Luna: Yes. So how do you overcome that? How do you convince your manager that you're not slacking by working at seventy percent? Lucas: The key is to frame it in terms of output, not input. Instead of saying 'I'm working less,' say 'I'm focusing on the highest-impact projects and protecting time to do them well.' And then you have to deliver. You have to be the person who consistently ships great work. That's the only thing that really kills the perception of laziness. Luna: So it's almost like you have to prove that the seventy percent approach works before people believe it. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why I like the idea of starting small. Pick one day a week where you're going to protect a two-hour block. Or pick one project where you're going to say no to anything that's not directly related to it. Build evidence that this works. Luna: I read about a law firm that did something similar. They asked associates to cut their billable hours by ten percent, and they found that the quality of their legal work went up, and client satisfaction scores improved. Lucas: That's a great example. And it shows that this isn't just for tech nerds. Any profession where judgment matters, having slack improves it. The problem is, most performance reviews still reward hours worked, not outcomes. So we've got this structural incentive to overload ourselves. Luna: So what do you do if your company's culture is all about face time? Like, the boss stays until seven, so everyone stays until seven. Lucas: That's a tough one. I think you have to be a little strategic. Maybe you leave at five-thirty, but you make sure your most visible deliverable is done and your email is cleared. You want to be the person who's known for being efficient, not the one who's always the last to leave. Luna: So it's about changing the narrative around what 'good' looks like. Lucas: And sometimes that means having an honest conversation with your manager. You can say, 'I want to do my best work, and I've noticed that when I'm overloaded, my quality drops. I'd like to protect some time for deep work.' Most reasonable managers will appreciate that, because they also want quality. Luna: But what if they don't appreciate it? What if they just see it as you being difficult? Lucas: Then you've learned something important about that workplace. And maybe it's time to consider whether that's the right place for you. But before we go there, let's talk about the 'stop doing' list, because I think that's a really practical tool. Luna: The 'stop doing' list. I love that. It's like the reverse of a to-do list. Lucas: Yeah. Every week, you write down three things you're going to stop doing. Not because they're bad, but because they're not the highest value use of your time. It could be a recurring meeting that's a waste, or a report that nobody actually reads. Luna: And have you done this yourself? What's on your stop doing list right now? Lucas: I stopped checking email before noon. That alone has been huge. And I've stopped saying yes to every podcast request that comes in. It's hard, but it frees up space for the projects that really matter. Luna: I think I need to add 'stop going to meetings without an agenda' to my list. That's such a time suck. Lucas: That's a great one. And it ties back to the seventy percent rule. Every time you say no to something that's not essential, you're creating that slack that lets your best work breathe. Luna: So, if someone wanted to start applying this today, what's the first step? Like, literally this afternoon. Lucas: I'd say take a piece of paper and write down everything you're doing that you suspect is low value. Then circle the one thing that you could drop without any real consequence. Just one. And then do it. That's your first win. Luna: Just one thing. That feels doable. Lucas: It is. And the point isn't to become a slacker. It's to become more intentional. The seventy percent rule is really about being deliberate about where you spend your energy, instead of letting the system decide for you. Luna: I like that. It's a mindset shift more than a time management hack. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that's the takeaway. You're not trying to do less work. You're trying to do better work. And sometimes, that means leaving a little gas in the tank. Luna: Well said. I'm going to try it this week. I've got a report that I know nobody reads. I think that's going on my stop doing list. Lucas: That's the spirit. And if you're a manager listening, maybe the best thing you can do is give your team permission to work at seventy percent. The research says you'll get better work from them, not worse. Luna: A radical idea, but maybe it's time.