5 Ways to Avoid Overcommitting

February 21, 2019

One of my clients is constantly cancelling our meetings at the last minute. Another colleague is always late on conference calls. And, normally she is the one that is the leader. So, the rest of us are just holding on and listening to classical music until she joins the call. As someone who tries to be conscientious of other peoples’ time, I have to say, it drives me crazy.

While I know emergencies pop up from time to time, I want to scream, “For the love of God, get control of your schedule!”

Overcommitting ourselves is easy. We all do it. I often find myself in my office in the evening getting things done because I haven’t left enough time in my day to accomplish them.

So why do we overcommit ourselves and then fail to deliver? A big reason we overcommit is we don’t want to disappoint people. So we tell them what we think they want to hear, knowing very well that our schedules can’t accommodate the request. However, research shows that the best way to build trusting relationships is to do the opposite. So, the next time you know you can’t do something, “Just say no!”

The reality is, when you meet your commitments, you build trust and gain confidence. You also feel less stressed. On the flip side, when you overcommit, it leads to burnout, missing appointments, turning in below par work and often sacrificing sleep because you are burning the midnight oil trying to get things done.

Below are tips to avoid overcommitting and stretching yourself:

• Say yes to the right things—be selective and say yes to the things that truly matter to you and that are worth the time spent. Budget your time and determine where and how you will spend it.
• Don’t let other people’s emergencies become yours—new tasks pop up all the time that will threaten to interrupt your workday. While you want to be flexible, make sure that other people’s requests take the proper place on your list of priorities and won’t trump everything else you need to get done. 
• Learn how to set limits and optimize your time. Setting limits helps us say “no” to more to-dos. Remember, high performers give 100% at the right time; workaholics give 110% all of the time. It doesn’t mean workaholics get more done; it just means you may not be as productive.  The key is to leave enough slack time in your day to handle emergencies.
• Stop worrying about disappointing others. Create a standard “no” response—Having a “no” response will allow you to decline graciously to requests as soon as they arrive. For instance, I am honored that you have asked me, but I have to say no.  Right now, I have committed as much as I can to xxxx.”
• Offer to help in another way–When you want to say ”yes” but time won’t permit, offer to help out in some other way.

Remember—you can do anything, but not everything! Let me know how you cope with a full schedule. Share in the comments below!