Over committed4/30/2023 the opportunity to work flexibly, a partner and co-parent, a lot of control over how I organise my time). So here I go, with the proviso (very familiar to anyone who works with me) that I frequently fail to follow my own advice and realise that these strategies won’t work for everyone – especially if they don’t have various luxuries that I have (e.g. Still, my claim was foolish, because I quickly received a reply asking me to write a blog about how I manage my time. I am totally infuritated by the running gag that academics are busy because they are very bad at organising their time – in my view, the reason we are busy is because we have too much to do. Preventing your own burnout is your responsibility.Recently on twitter I made the absolutely terrible mistake of claiming that I am good at time management. Take the time to assess your triggers and implement strategies to work with them and you will evolve into a more effective professional. Learning to break a pattern of over-commitment that leads to being overwhelmed is a big responsibility that requires thought, patience and discipline. If you do this, then when someone asks for help, you’ll be prepared with an educated answer regarding whether you have the time, and if you'll be able to honor your current commitments without disappointing yourself or others. If this process sounds too tedious, you can also make a point of assessing your to-do list a couple of times a week to see how much bandwidth you have and, based on that assessment, decide whether you can take on helping others at that time. Only then will you be able to determine if you can offer assistance to others. Managing your time properly requires that you review your entire to-do list and estimate how much time it will take to complete every item on this list. For you, making an adjustment will probably be harder, because not only will you need to develop the discipline to manage your time and expectations, you'll also need to apply this new discipline on the fly. Chances are you're the type of person who actively avoids the practice of time management and you’re the Innovator + Influencer brain type. If you often find yourself helping others before you assess how much is already on your plate, then not estimating and managing your time right is the real culprit behind feeling overwhelmed and over-committed. Related: 10 Simple Productivity Tips for Organizing Your Work Life Also, be sure to communicate to others if you have to push off their work until later, to accommodate the most recent request. In cases where time is of the essence and helping later just won't do, assess how much time you can give, and how using that time up will affect the rest of your tasks and deliverables. ![]() If you have a lot on your plate then it’s OK to say “No” or offer to help out at a later date when you have some free time on your hands. First you should assess if they really need your help. Second, ask yourself whether you’re saying “yes” just to be nice, or if you really think you can be of use. ![]() To avoid being overwhelmed and over-committed, be sure you listen to what people need help with first, before offering assistance.
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