I was recently introduced to this Japanese practice Hara Hachi Bu, only eating until you are 80% full rather than 100%. Interestingly, Okinawa is located in one of the “Blue Zones” in the world, which is an area with usually higher longevity than other parts of the world. I find this a fascinating practice with regards to food for sure, but this philosophy of stopping before excess intrigues me. I find that this idea translates to all areas of life! It is the idea of mindful moderation.

The idea of stopping at 80% isn’t about deprivation. It could seem this way, but if you think about it in terms of food – often it takes a while for your brain to catch up to your stomach actually feeling full. If you stop at 80% it gives your brain time to catch up to feeling like you have had enough. Stopping at 80% really is less about deprivation and more about leaving margin in your life. In all areas of life, satisfaction does not equal saturation. We live in a time that pushes the idea of saturation. The other day my husband, son, and I were talking about how much entertainment is available to us these days. It is difficult to choose what to spend your free time on sometimes because of how saturated the entertainment world is now. In general, our culture glorifies the idea of “more,” “full,” or “maxing out.” If you are on social media, you are constantly being exposed to “more.” Just one more Reel, just one more Tik Tok, just one more minute of scrolling. And on social media we are exposed to so many lifestyles and things that it can make us crave more in our own lives.

Like I mentioned, this idea of 80% can be applied to all areas of life. In work or ambition, we can stop at “good enough is good enough for today.” Instead of grinding until we are depleted, we can work to 80%. I know I have experienced this with homemaking. I have had to learn the art of progress over perfection and allowing my work to be “good enough” sometimes instead of constantly pushing myself to do things even when I don’t have the energy or bandwidth that day. This can also be true with screen time or taking in information. It is all too easy to “doom scroll” – scrolling until you’re numb. It is especially difficult to put boundaries on this since we know from research that scrolling on social media is an addictive behavior. We must learn to set and stick to our boundaries with regards to social media, news, and other media intake.

Another area where mindful moderation is helpful is in our spending and consumption habits. If you have been around a while, you know I have done two no buy years. I have also done multiple no buy months. The reason I did this was to practice this idea of mindful moderation when it comes to bringing things into my home. Implementing this idea has helped me tremendously on my decluttering journey. As we slow the inflow of things coming into our homes, we begin to see the progress of our decluttering instead of just purchasing more as we declutter.

Even healthy things should be done in moderation. Exercise is a good thing, but training at 80% effort instead of training to exhaustion can help with remaining consistent and avoiding ultimate burnout or even injury. Socializing is another positive thing, but it is another area of life where 80% would be beneficial. You can leave gatherings while you are still enjoying them rather than staying until you feel drained. On social media, you can turn off notifications so you do not constantly feel the need to respond to every comment and DM. Giving yourself time away from people to recharge, especially if you are an introvert, is important.

The idea of 80% can also be translated to speaking and sharing opinions with people. Instead of dominating conversations with what you want to share, learn to leave room for listening. Actually listening to others’ ideas and opinions and not listening just to respond. Lastly, related to relationships is the area of emotional reaction. We all have reactions to certain situations and confrontations with people in our lives – our spouses, family members, friends, and co-workers. It is human nature and natural to have an emotional response to certain things, but if we apply this idea of 80% – responding at 80% intensity, this leaves room to de-escalate. 

The idea of mindful moderation works well because of the psychological lag in recognizing “enough.” For example, like I mentioned, our brains take a while to catch up to how our stomach is feeling with regards to food. But this is true in other areas as well, like dopamine or even fatigue. If we stop at 80% it gives the brain time to catch up to realizing that is enough. It is better to undershoot – in all areas of life, then to overshoot and risk burn out. Also, focusing on 80% is more sustainable. When we shoot for 80% instead of 100 it feels more do-able and therefore we are more likely to follow through consistently. Moderation is a long game strategy that will help you remain dedicated day in and day out.

Can you pick one area of life this week to consciously stop at 80%? Maybe it’s with food, or your phone, or work. Reflect on where you stopped and how you felt stopping there. Remember those people who implement the Hara Hachi Bu practice are known to have longevity, which is likely also linked to well being in their lives. Mindful moderation is less about restriction and more about restraint as a form of self respect.