More is not always better.
Sometimes, you need to do less in order to achieve more.
That’s the heart of Episode 3 of my interview on The Woman Experience with Edith Karimi where we talked about how powerful it is to do less and achieve more.
This is one of the most honest and countercultural conversations I’ve had, especially for women who are deeply driven to succeed, and are sometimes silently burning out while trying to be everything to everyone.
In this episode, we peeled back the layers of a lie many ambitious women carry: that doing more makes us more valuable. That constantly producing, serving, striving, and solving is how we prove our worth.
And yet, the truth is that doing less is not lazy, it’s liberating.
It’s a brave decision to opt out of the noise, to carry fewer responsibilities, and to no longer wear exhaustion as a badge of honour.
Why Doing Less Matters (Especially for Ambitious Women)
In Episode 1 of this interview, we explored the emotional collapse that happens when the pressure to “have it all” pushes us to the edge. We named the silent burnout that so many women live with and normalize until our bodies, relationships, or mental health force us to stop.
You can watch Episode 1 here, and read the accompanying blog post in which I discuss moving from burnout to breakthrough.
Then in Episode 2, we unpacked what it really means to choose yourself. Not in a self-indulgent way. But in a courageous, powerful, and often messy way that prioritizes your own healing, capacity, and peace, especially when you’re used to putting everyone else first.
You can watch Episode 2 here and read my accompanying blog post, which discusses choosing yourself in more detail.
Now, in Episode 3, we talk about one of the most radical ways to choose yourself:
Doing less. Choosing fewer roles. Setting fewer goals. Releasing what no longer fits.
Because more isn’t always better. Sometimes, it’s what keeps us stuck, exhausted, resentful, and fragmented.
What makes “doing less” so powerful is that it invites you to return to what matters most. It calls you back to clarity, purpose, and presence. It makes room for depth instead of just filling your calendar and time with activities.
Doing less also asks the bold question:
What could change in your life if you didn’t try to do it all?
Watch Episode 3: “What Nobody Tells You About the Power of Doing Less” below, or click here to watch it directly on YouTube.
It’s Not Just About Rest, But Rest Makes It Possible
Rest is not the entire conversation. But it is one of the most important tools that support a “doing less and achieve more” life.
In fact, one of the biggest shifts I made in my own journey was learning to schedule rest on purpose. Not as a reward for being productive, but as a requirement for being well.
That’s why in one of my signature programs, titled 28 Days of Loving Yourself Challenge, we create the habit of designating at least one day, which for most people is Sunday, as a Rest Day.
These rest days are a reset for the nervous system, a chance to practise presence, and a reminder that you are more than what you produce or achieve.
Here’s what I share with women in the Challenge:
Rest is not “doing nothing.” It is doing what’s necessary to restore yourself.
You don’t have to earn rest. You’re allowed to slow down and rest, and you don’t have to justify it. There is strength in setting it all down, even for a little while.
So yes, doing less might mean saying no to another role. Letting go of outdated goals. Walking away from what no longer fits.
But it also means learning to protect your peace.
It means honouring your capacity.
It means building a rhythm of rest and renewal into your everyday life and not waiting for burnout to demand it.
Here are a few mindset shifts that support this:
- “I can do less and still be enough.”
- “Rest is a must, even when I haven’t finished everything.”
- “Doing less is not failure, it’s a choice for focus and freedom so that I achieve more.”
So, What Does “Doing Less” Actually Look Like?
It might look like:
- Saying no to a project, even if you’d be great at it.
- Stepping back from a role that drains you more than it fulfils you.
- Letting go of goals that were rooted in proving something to others.
- Scheduling rest into your week as a non-negotiable.
- Delegating, deleting, or delaying things that aren’t urgent or aligned.
- Protecting your energy the way you protect your time.
- Walking away from toxic relationships and minimizing contact with toxic people in spaces where you can’t avoid them.
And yes, it might also mean sitting still. Not because you’re lazy, but because you’re learning to live from a place of enoughness instead of constantly trying to prove yourself.
Because at the end of the day, the goal is not to do everything. The goal is to do what matters most, and to do it from a place of wholeness, not depletion.
More From This Series
This is Part 3 of a four-part series with Edith Karimi. Here’s a peek at the other episodes:
- “I Was Tired of Pretending”
- When You Finally Choose You: The Good, The Hard, and The Necessary
- What Nobody Tells You About the Power of Doing Less
- From Overwhelmed to Empowered – The Secret to Designing a Life That Serves You
Ready to Practise the Power of Doing Less?
If this message resonates with you and if you’re tired of pushing, proving, and pretending that you’re fine, I invite you to join the next 28 Days of Loving Yourself Challenge.
In this 4-week guided experience, you’ll learn how to:
- Declutter your life
- Prioritize your well-being without guilt
- Reclaim your time, energy, and voice
- Rest, reset, and show up fully in your life without burning out
- Practise self-love and self-care in a way that supports your professional and personal growth
You’ll also connect with other women who are prioritizing their self-care even as they pursue their BIG goals.
Because when you stop trying to do it all, you finally have space to become who you were meant to be.
And that version of you?
She’s not just surviving.
She’s rising.
🔗 Click here to find out more about the Challenge and reserve your spot
(Image and Video Credit: The Woman Experience on YouTube)
