Two ‘easy’ rules can help eliminate work overload - and they don’t include saying “No!”
Reclaim your boundaries! This is the core message of this blog. For too many of us, we have a sense of loss of control over how we are spending our time. And it is true that the demands on us these days are tremendous. The consequence is that we never get to those things we really want to do. That is those things that we often think are ‘for us’ and are those areas of work that drive our passions and interests or indeed support future progression.
It is also the case that for many of us - whilst we are often exhorted to just say ‘no’ to more work - it is not possible. as saying ‘no’ means our colleagues have to pick it und that makes the situation worse for them. Or, there is simply no-one else available who can do certain tasks.
Here are two career coaching ‘rules’ that can help take back control in the workplace. Both are simple messages, and whilst they don’t include the ‘no’ word, they do require a little self-scrutiny and self-discipline to put them into practice.
Rule One: The 80/20 Model
Have you noticed that you wear 20% of your clothes for about 80% of your time? And that you use 20% of the apps on your phone 80% of the time? Or that 80% of decisions in meetings are made in 20% of the meeting time? OK, that last one isn’t true. Often no decisions are made in meetings!
The 80/20 rule builds on the Pareto principle that 80% of our results come from 20% of our effort.
Take a moment to consider these questions across different aspects of your life:
Which activity do you spend around 20% of your time on that gives you 80% of your joy?
From what 20% of your possessions do you get the most use?
With which 20% of people do you most enjoy spending time?
Now apply this model to your professional life. What tasks do you spend 80% of your time doing that brings 20% of your returns? This one is easy and you already know the answer – email, meetings and administration.
Next, identify the 20% of your work which contributes to 80% of your success. For many academics, the answer is often research and writing. For those in professional services roles, it might lie in external networking. Once you have this list, use it to set priorities so that, over a period of time, you are able to develop a plan of work covering the major tasks which make the biggest difference.
Rule Two: The Good Enough Approach
I first came across the ‘good enough’ approach when I was doing my PhD on stepfamilies. Being a ‘good enough’ mother was the antidote to the impossible perfectionism that is required of all mothers-step or not. The premise is that you do not have to be the perfect mother for your child to thrive. So long as you are ‘good enough,’ your child will still develop in all the right ways.
It is not only motherhood where the pressure to give your all is rife. Many of us also want to give our work one hundred per cent. There can be a reluctance to dial down our efforts. What would happen if we are not always delivering our best work? How will this impact on our standing and our prospects? Aren’t we also letting ourselves down by not always doing our best?
Yet giving every task our most meticulous and conscientious attention is counterproductive as it is the surest way to overload and burnout. The issue, therefore, is not to lower our standards, but to be more selective in where we put the extra effort. A Harvard Review article refers to this as ‘rechannelling a strength’. The overall aim is to find ways of taking off some of the pressure while maintaining a strong standard of work.
The simplest way you can do this is to decide that anything that takes up 80% of your time and yet only delivers 20% of your role is the main area where you should have a ‘good enough’ approach. You can develop this further by looking at the tasks which take 20% of your time but have the biggest impact and consider which of these really require your most assiduous attention.
So you see - whilst I set out with two ‘easy’ rules - really there is only one!
Start practicing today!
Christina Hughes