The Law of Diminishing S.O.B.'s

The thing about stress, overwhelm and burnout that’s imperative to understand is that at some point, the MORE we work, the less productive we become. I call this the Law of Diminishing S.O.B.’s. It’s like trying to scale an ever-increasing incline or a run up an exponential curve – eventually, you’re just falling backwards. 

Life and business coach Tricia Alach, puts it simply, saying that “increasingly, research is showing that the more we push ourselves to get through more and more work, the less we actually achieve, often at great cost to both ourselves and the business”. When we explore the Yerkes-Dodson Law, we notice that “an optimal level of stress can help you focus…and remember the information…too much anxiety can impair your ability to concentrate and make it more difficult to remember” (Very Well Mind)

So while life may be an uphill road as Christina Rossetti describes in her beautiful poem Up-Hill, it’s important to find that fabled resting place, “a roof for when the slow dark hours begin…you cannot miss that inn”. 

If you are to defeat stress, overwhelm and burnout, banishing them for good, you MUST rest and revitalize regularly to avoid running yourself ragged. 

Another way to describe this phenomenon is called the 80/20 rule. Also known as the Pareto Principal, it states that you get 80% of the return from ONLY 20% of the effort!  Meaning that to accomplish that last 20% in order to reach a full 100%, you have to work 80% HARDER. Think of the many other things you could do for yourself, your family and those around you with that additional 80% energy spread across many different efforts. 

This truth is tough to swallow and can be hard to reconcile as professionals who want to always do our best. 

I assure you; I’m not advocating for mediocrity here.

Coming from technical or clinical backgrounds, many executives don’t realize that even ordinary performance (as long as it’s accompanied by a strong power base and grounded in humility and experience), goes far in the leadership world. The “American” ideal of exceptionalism is debilitating to our overall workforce. Often, more effort doesn’t supply a return that’s really worth it. 

Think about it: if you worked less, you may be able to accomplish more. What could you let yourself explore without the burden of stress, overwhelm and burnout hanging menacingly over you at all times? To be truly free, you must truly believe and incorporate the age-old adage that less is more.