Say No! 3 Foolproof Strategies to Avoid Overcommitment
Taking on a project way above your paygrade?
“Dave, i need you to complete this for me, its just one big project with a deadline in 7 days, i need you to spearhead the project and make it successful , you better accept this proposal”~ Dave’s Boss
Dave’s got 3 other contracts, got family commitments, works another full time job. Should Dave take this project on?
How could you avoid these dreadful scenarios? Let’s explore this by 3 highly useful strategies to avoid overcommitment:
- Build A Strong Framework For Decision Making
Ahh, another one of those frameworks, why get so technical? i just want to make things simple.
Well guess what, you can! Having a strong framework doesn’t necessarily mean you need to fill in a matrix table of priorities and draw a few scattergrams (Not that those aren’t effective).
Anyways, It could be as simple as noting down your tasks of immediate concern.
These are the tasks which you know you need to prioritize in any situation, you know that you are obliged to do it anyways, and missing out on these could potentially mean…you fall off.
Forget about the tasks which are long term and not immediate. This situation requires immediacy and you need to FORGET about the potential rewards you get off these minor tasks which you really should not be focusing on.
For example, you’ve been working on a project for 3 months and you need to still make final changes, review the project and have discussions. There’s 3 days left and your friend calls you for a trip to Bali..You really want to go. Perhaps you could complete the project in time? Perhaps you could do it while travelling? Perhaps you could….. This is where you Prioritize.
The project that you’ve been working on for so long, you just need to finish it off and give it the best shot. is BALI worth the investment? MOST CERTAINLY. But not just yet :(
Focus on the goals which are immediate; be it a long-term goal which is truly important, and a short term goal which requires immediacy. Prioritizing these tasks can truly change the way you commit to things in life. Surely, this doesn’t mean missing out on some of the other commitments, but just jot them aside if they aren’t exactly important at the moment.
2. Encourage Collaboration
So you just want to take it all on yourself huh? You don’t want people working with you? its more rewarding? you learn a lot more? Your a man for making such a huge commitment. GARBAGE!
We as human beings yearn for collaboration despite some of us wanting to collaborate on our daily tasks and if we realize the impact of collaboration on reducing our daily tasks and making them more efficient, we would honestly crave it for all of our tasks, and we would never have to overcommit for a task.
Being interdependent and benefitting off the skillsets of other people adds value to your needs and even gives you a better prospect of efficient work and handling other affairs.
Imagine you’ve just found a client on a freelance website for social media marketing, the client also wants you to go beyond the scope of traditional marketing and use AI tools. Your level of expertise in AI is only fairly decent, so you have a huge learning curve ahead.
If you decide to commit to this project, you could find yourself overcommitting at one point due to your lack of understanding. This is where collaboration comes in. With only a few keywords away, find an AI Specialist for marketing and explain your needs and requests which the client demands.
This would save you a whole lot of time, as you are harnessing the skills of this AI specialist and you could actually learn a lot about AI marketing while collaborating with the specialist; and perhaps the next time- You don’t need a specialist!
But do you see the benefit of collaboration here? although it comes with a small con of paying the specialist, you are reducing your workload by a great deal and would not find yourself being unfair to your clients by proving value which isn’t really beneficial.
3. Schedule Downtime
As much as it is important to prioritize your tasks to avoid overcommitting, you need to let go of the daily whirlwind of commitment, tone things down and focus on other essential commitments.
When you are in a better state of wellbeing , you can make decisions for commitments a lot better and be a ton more productive at what you do.
Commitments aren’t all about your work life! You have other important commitments which you need to fulfill, the time you give to other hobbies and skills could also be commitments, and i’m not talking about obligations here.
So on a daily basis you need to fulfill these tasks at a lower intensity, while focusing on tasks which require immediacy.
For example, heading over for a quick jog in the morning before work. A wonderful way to build your fitness levels while being productive in the morning. This way you could prevent potential burnouts and maintain your energy levels without exhausting yourself.
Journaling is another effective activity for downtime, while it may seem a bit academic. It actually can help you reflect on your personal life and other commitments. You can see how well you keep up with your commitments in life and gain a good sense of perspective.
All in All, trying out these strategies can really help you handle the whole overcommitment thing. They give you a good way to balance stuff, so you’re not stuck in a never-ending loop of deadlines and ending up with tired, baggy eyes. Give em a shot and see how it goes!
The next time somebody requests for a task beyond your paygrade, you know how to react :)
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