Are you, in fact, doing too much? It seems like an odd question to ask right after one of the biggest holiday seasons of the year, but who hasn’t experienced the exhaustion that comes from trying to pack as much as possible into a limited amount of time?
The thing is, when you’re trying to make an impact, you can get a little carried away. As leaders, we often feel called to step in when something needs to be done, especially when it comes to the impact we want to have. You may even be addicted to being busy, because culturally that’s considered an advantage.
Getting carried away can take the form of excessive busyness, where you seem to have no free time, and can lead to exhaustion and falling off of commitments. You may be able to handle being too busy for a while, but anything else can lead to being less effective, burning out, and sadly having less impact.
So what is there to do?
First, recognize when you’re too busy. Do you feel so tired or irritable that a good night’s sleep won’t cure you? If so, it’s time to adjust before things escalate.
Second, if you’re doing too much, find ways to reduce the load. is there anything you can decrease, eliminate or delegate? This trio of possibilities gives you options. You may be able to narrow down the scope of what you’re doing and still have the same impact. You may be able to delegate parts or all of it to someone else, who also wants to have that impact. Or it may be that you don’t need to do it anymore, or the ROI of the impact is minimal, so you can quit altogether.
Third, give yourself a break. You don’t always have to be the one carrying the load. In fact, you may not be doing your team or colleagues a favor if you always get involved. Let someone else step up or invite them to. Make this a practice, look for ways to provide opportunities for others, and you’ll keep doing too much at bay. As a leader, you are always modeling, so model a sustainable workload.
Your impact is important, as is your personal sustainability. Get involved for the long haul and you’ll have more impact.
