Give Your Best 75%: A Humanist Approach to Sustainable Success

In a recent conversation with a friend, I said something offhand that stuck with me: “I got about 75% of my to-do list done today—and I feel really good about that.”

That simple statement captures a core lesson I’ve learned as a humanistic business leader: you don’t have to do everything to be successful. In fact, trying to do everything is a recipe for burnout—not just for you, but for your relationships, your community, and even your business. Giving your best 75% might just be the most productive and sustainable thing you can do.

The Myth of 100%

There’s a lot of pressure in the business world to give “110%” all the time. Hustle harder. Sleep less. Achieve more. But human beings aren’t machines—and when we treat ourselves like we are, we break down. Constant overdrive isn’t sustainable. And it’s not actually necessary.

Some of the most important things I do in a day—like making a healthy meal, having quality time with my family, playing a video game, or chatting with a friend—don’t show up on a productivity chart. But they make me a better business leader, a better thinker, and a more grounded human. They help me show up better for the 75% of work I do choose to tackle.

Working Sustainably Is Working Strategically

I work for myself. I have no boss threatening to fire me if I don’t check off every item on my list. That freedom has taught me something powerful: Many tasks simply don’t need to be done. Ever. Some can wait. Others vanish entirely when left alone for a few days.

The real trick is learning to discern. Every morning, I look at my task list—not to ask what I can cram into the day, but to decide what I’m not going to do. I pare it down to what’s truly meaningful and manageable, based on the time, energy, and obligations I have that day. That includes making time for myself and others, not just my business.

This is how I avoid burnout. It’s also how I do higher-quality work.

Systems That Support, Not Control

I’m still organized. I keep lists, use task trackers, and make sure nothing truly important gets forgotten. But those systems exist to support my work—not to guilt me into overworking.

I’ve also learned to say no. To projects. To requests. To distractions that don’t align with my priorities or capacity. Saying no isn’t failure. It’s focus. It’s choosing what matters most.

The 75% Rule

So here’s my philosophy: Give your best 75%. Be intentional. Be kind to yourself. Prioritize rest, relationships, and joy alongside business goals. You may leave some money on the table. But you’ll gain something far more valuable—your health, your clarity, your creativity, your sustainability.

And you’ll be better not just for your business, but for your family, your community (I volunteer at the zoo!), and the world around you.

You don’t have to do it all. Just do what matters—and do it well. You can thrive if you don't burn out. Save 25%  - for joy. 

#WorkLifeBalance #HumanisticLeadership #SustainableSuccess #AvoidBurnout #TimeManagement #DoLessBetter #HumanismInBusiness #MindfulProductivity

Mattering

Why do people chase happiness?

They chase happiness because they think that will make them happy. And they think being happy will make their lives better.

It doesn't really work that way though. You can't catch happiness. Happiness is an emotion and like all emotions it is fleeting. It comes and goes moment to moment.

The problem with "chasing happiness" is that having happiness as a life goal is not a good thing. It's what I would call a proxy problem. What people really want is to thrive or to be content or eupraxsophy (I hate that word btw). What we humans really seem to want is something other than happiness and tied to happiness but that is more than happiness.  We don't really have a good word for it - except to say - we want good full lives.  And we feel like we are failing when we aren't optimizing our lives.

Psychologists have a term for this - it's called wellness syndrome where we tie our concept of wellness to morality. It's not healthy or good for us mentally as it can create unrealistic expectations for ourselves and when we fail to meet those unrealistic expectations, we feel bad - not good.

A better way is to understand your goal isn't happiness but to live life fully, whatever that means to you. When the bad moments come - and they will come, they are part of the experience. The good moments, same thing.

What helps us feel fulfilled is knowing that our lives matter, not just to us but to others.  This is an existential matter tied to our awareness of death. Our lives, in the big scheme of things don't matter. Yet, we need to feel like we matter to feel ok.  Carl Sagan addressed the solution to this in his book Contact - “She had studied the universe all her life, but had overlooked its clearest message: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.” ― Carl Sagan, Contact

Being of service to others. Caring for others. Doing our best to be and to manifest love, even when we are stressed out. This is what gives our lives meaning. This is what helps us to feel ok and connected and that we matter. The key to feeling connected is to not focus on yourself. It is to focus on how you can be of service to others.

If we want to be happy, we should stop chasing happiness and focus instead on mattering. What can you do that will matter to others and help others? If you can accomplish that, you will feel very satisfied and happy with yourself regardless of the details and problems you face. This is the Humanist way.

This essay first appeared on Quora - https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-chase-happiness/answer/Jennifer-Hancock

If you want to learn more – may I suggest the following books:

      or dvd  

My online course – Living Made Simpler - https://humanistlearning.com/livingmadesimpler1/
Or any of the following life skills courses - https://humanistlearning.com/category/lifeskills/philosophy/

Maintaining Focus

Many people struggle to remain focused.  They get side tracked and procrastinate and never get around to doing what they are supposed to be doing. There is an easy fix for that. And it involves asking yourself a question. Or rather several questions.

The main question to ask yourself when you are struggling to maintain focus is, “why.”

Why are you working on whatever the project is? What is it you hope to accomplish by working on it? In this context, the question why can help you find the motivation you need to finish the task or stay on track. Instead of focusing on the task, you now know WHY you are doing it and WHY it matters if you don’t.

I often find that if I am stuck it’s usually because what I was doing wasn’t working and I just wasn’t’ willing to admit that to myself.  By asking myself WHY I am working on a project, I remind myself of what it is I am really trying to accomplish. Often, we get so caught up in the task itself we get blinders on and forget that the problem we are solving is actually just one of many possible ways we could be fixing our real problem. Asking why helps you refocus on your real problem and when you do that, you can find other ways of solving it.

The final way asking yourself WHY helps you maintain focus is because sometimes the answer to why I am doing something is nothing. I have no good reason to do it. And when I realize that, I allow myself to not do it anymore.

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of things on my plate. Getting sidetracked is super easy. When I ask myself why I am doing any particular task, I can prioritize my tasks! What is really important and what isn’t can only be ascertained if you ask yourself WHY you are doing those things.  It’s a lot easier to maintain focus when you are able to concentrate on the things that really matter and ignore the things that don’t.

So the next time you find yourself struggling to focus, ask yourself why.