Perhaps your superior has never had a serious career conversation with you, or your colleagues respect you but don’t invite you to join strategic conversations. You may be working flat out, neglecting your personal relationships and on the best way to a burnout.
If all this sounds familiar, you might be viewing your work in the wrong way. Not every task you take on will require your immediate attention. So assess whether the task you are working on is the right one for you. This recommendation comes from the Harvard Business Review.
Eliminate actions where a weekly e-mail would suffice (e.g. a current status update meeting). Questioning more why something needs doing will help you ensure genuinely important tasks are prioritised while others are delegated or simply omitted altogether.
Does this task fit into my time portfolio?
- Divide your core activities into categories. What are you in charge of? Which projects do you need to supervise? Which presentations is it crucial to deliver? Which e-mails require a response?
- Assign an ideal percentage of your time across the categories.
- Say no to lower priorities. Dedicate more time to what really matters.
What will happen a month from now if this isn’t done?
Think about the impact of the work items on your list. Before you agree to a request, think about its future impact on you and the business.
Who wants this task done? Am I the right person to do it?
Perhaps it should be done by your direct subordinates. Don’t always be the first to volunteer. Ask yourself who the right person is to do the task. Then delegate and use your own time for more important work.
-jk-