You can achieve more by doing less

Introduction

I don’t about you, but I find myself particularly since COVID 19, taking on more than I can handle. During the initial stages of COVID 19, the economy was declining and many of us let go of some of our employees, however, now that the economy is rebounding, some of us still have not recruited additional employees and as a result, you find yourself taking on new opportunities, but you are unable to meet the deadlines because you have taken on more than you can handle. You see prior to COVID 19, some of you had a reputation of completing tasks on time but now you are making promises to do things by a certain timeframe, but you are unable to meet the deadline. In addition to your work, some of you are involve in several community activities and you don’t have time to care of your own self or your family. If you are like me, some of you want to help everybody and don’t want to say no to anyone. The thing is you cannot take the entire world on your shoulders, otherwise you may be overwhelmed and stressed and don’t achieve anything significantly at all.

Don’t take on more than you can handle

When it comes to your business or career, it can be very tempting to say yes to all opportunities that come your way. However, if you don’t have the capacity to handle additional work, you must learn to say no and decline some opportunities. Obviously, if you have the resources, then there is nothing wrong with accepting new opportunities but some of us know we don’t have the time and resources, but we want that additional compensation. Therefore, some of you will spend many hours beyond your normal working hours and on weekends working to meet the deadlines you promised. There is nothing wrong with working late and on weekends, but this can be very unhealthy and counterproductive. In fact, you may find yourself being so tired and not being able to complete your tasks. The best thing to do is to do less. Do a few jobs or opportunities that you know you can handle and deliver to your clients on time. Alternatively, recruit additional help as to many of us want to do everything by ourselves.  If you don’t have the finances to pay for additional staff, be upfront with the clients and provide them with a realistic time when you can get it done. If they cannot wait that long, then simply refer them to someone else or another company. This may be risky as the client may remain with that referral. However, wouldn’t you rather loose one than to lose all your clients because you took on more than you can handle.

Now there are some of us are who also volunteers in some community events and so you don’t get compensated for what you do. While I encourage and promote individuals to volunteer in the community but don’t take on more than you can handle. Some people are involved in multiple things in the community and unfortunately many times it is the same set of individuals. I think you should focus on just one or two community events and be effective in them rather than spreading yourself everywhere. Furthermore, you need time for self-care and self-management. You also need time to spend with your family and friends.

Conclusion

Wouldn’t you rather achieve a few projects rather than trying to take on more than you can handle and don’t achieve anything at all. Of course, some people will always take on more than they can handle and may achieve everything but at what price are you willing to do this. Are you willing to sacrifice quality time with your family? Are you willing to compromise your health because taking on more than you can handle can lead to stress and stress can lead to health issues?