It's inevitable that there will be waves of intensity at work. I met
with a man the other day who was forced to take a sabbatical due to the
100 hour work weeks he had undertaken over the course of his career.
His body wasn't doing well and he didn't have much of a life outside of
work. Even if you're not working 100 hours a week, it's worthwhile to
ask some questions when more is asked of you, such as:
- Why am I being asked to do more? This may be a complement, i.e.
if you want something done well, tap the busy person next to you. - Do I have the right tools for this increased work load?
- Am I willing to sacrifice for this new task?
- Can my family handle this new wave of work?
Here are some strategies for tackling the inevitable: more work at work.
- Streamline: pair back,
simplify, cut down and eliminate anything that slows your productivity
down. This may be as simple as reconfiguring your workspace or
updating some software that is lagging behind the pace of how you want
to work. - Use the KISS rule: Keep
It Simply Simple. Remember Ockham's razor? Ockham, a Catholic
philosopher said that that which is simplest is often the most true so
cut out the unnecessary steps and get things done. - Delegate: if someone else can do something better, faster and with greater accuracy, why are you doing it and not them?
- Communicate "work" with your family: my wife doesn't like surprises at work. The lesson: talk to your family ahead of time and go over your schedule and calendar.
- Go online: rather than be locked in to one computer, go online and use such apps as Backpack, Google Calendar or Nozbe.