It's Okay To Do Less. Full Stop.

I recently came across one of those viral Instagram posts, the kind meant to be comforting, empowering, soft. It said:

“It’s okay to do less when you’re dealing with more.”

And while the message is with good intention, I felt something nudge at me. A quiet disagreement. Not with the heart of the message, but with the premise it rests on. Here's the thing:

It’s okay to do less. Full stop. 

Not just when you’re overwhelmed. Not just when life piles on and you're fraying at the edges. Not just when you're grieving or exhausted or in survival mode. Just… because.

Somewhere along the line, we bought into this idea that we have to earn rest. That scaling back needs to be justified. That “less” is only permissible when we’ve proven we’re carrying “more.”

But what if doing less wasn’t a sign of failure or fragility, but of wisdom? What if slowing down, simplifying, or saying no didn’t require an explanation at all?

What If Less Is Enough?

When we make rest conditional and only allowable after productivity, stress, or crisis, we reinforce the very culture that keeps us burnt out in the first place. We validate the idea that our worth is tied to output, that rest is a reward rather than a right.

Doing less is not an apology. It’s not a crisis response. It’s not a fallback plan.

It’s a choice. A boundary. A shift in values.

And yes, sometimes we do less because we have to; life demands it. But sometimes we do less because we want to. And that’s just as valid.

So here’s your permission slip, if you need one: You’re allowed to do less, for no reason other than you feel like it. Not because you're depleted. Not because you’re proving something. Just because you’re human.

Let that be enough.