In this Edition:

1. How getting great results is bad for you?
   
2. Action Exercise - Trying living in the Now
   
3. Laugh out loud - Clockwise or maybe not!
   
4. More time management resources

How am I going to get it all done, Peter thinks to himself shaking his head. "David how much work has the boss given you over the last week or so”? “Not much,” David replies

“The boss has loaded me up with work,” he sighs, “why hasn’t he given you some of the work?” "He knows my capacity and how I make sure I am able to achieve consistently high results," David explains “Capacity?” Peter repeats. "What's this capacity and what has it got to do with how much wor the boss gives you?"

Remember the saying “if you want a job done give it to a busy person”. That’s great and it works well -- as long as you’re not that busy person.

David and Peter are two people (not their real names) who are know for getting things done. But Peter is now finding it hard to keep up, as the work load keeps growing. David on the other hand has lived through what's happening to Peter and he found a better way.

This is an issue I have seen every year I have been coaching, but this time trap has been much more prevalent this year.

There's a big problem with getting great results. The more often you produce great results, the more work you get. Your boss and their boss think you are fantastic. You feel appreciated and satisfied. You get a bonus or some reward.

Then, because you produce great results, you get more work, and you work even harder to keep up the great results.

And so you work even harder and longer. And you get results. And more work. And even more work.

See the problem yet?

This is a warning for BOTH you (the go to person) AND your boss (who keeps loading you up with work). This quickly gets to a no win situation.

What eventually happens in this time trap scenario?

Yes, you guessed it! You, the great results, go to person, eventually gets too much work and something slips. And you get an "average or poor" result.

So why did you want to get great results in the first place?

To achieve satisfaction (how long did it last?). To get a promotion (more work). To get more money (ever got a new role or title, but no more money?). But what have you lost? Control over your life! You've run into a time trap.

You're slowly figuring out, that just getting results, under any circumstances, is not the answer.

Great results lead to more work, more pressure, less satisfaction and eventually failure -- unless ..

Unless you take control of your situation. To do this you need to know exactly how much time is required to achieve these great results AND how to use this to put yourself back in control.

What you want is to be able to consistently, month in month out, year in year out, produce great results, without sacrificing more time.

THE most valuable people in a business are the ones that know their capacity. Capacity is how much work you can get done in the hours per week that you choose to work.

Times are tougher than they have been for a while. Unfortunately every day at the moment I see people asked to do more and to work harder.

So, how do you take control? And, what do you if (when) your boss(es) ask you to take on more?

First, YOU decide the hours that you want to work. Then decide what you can complete in that time AND still consistently get great results.

If your boss tries to push more on to you -- show them your weekly structure which outlines your capacity. Ask them which project they will give to someone else so you can take on the new project. And, (this is critical) tell your boss that the KEY to you producing consistently GREAT RESULTS is knowing what needs to be done and how long it will take.

In the meeting David said to his boss, I have know from mine and others experience, that taking on too much work leads to poor results and I would never want that to happen because the company and you, boss, would look bad." David's boss was impressed by David's honesty and how well David knew his own capacity.

David boss agreed to work with David to manage his work load so he could keep producing great results. And that's why Peter got loaded up with all the extra work.

I have spoken to many bosses who have been on the end of this conversation. What do think they do?

Yes -- most accept and understand your point. They then go and find another person who is not well organised and ask them to take on the extra workload, pressure and stress.

And you avoid the time trap and keep producing consistently great results.

Action Exercise:
In the next 24 hours:

Plan out your IDEAL week. What would a perfect working week (do a separate one for holidays :-) look like for you. How many hours would you work. When would you arrive and leave. What projects would you work on. What things would you avoid or stop doing? Use our weekly structure blank template to plan out your ideal week.

THEN, compare it to an actual week. What needs to change?

Use your ideal week to determine your capacity. How many hours do you want to work and what can you get done in that time?