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LaNella Hooper-Williams

Personal Branding Tips and Tools for An Authentically Empowered Career

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:

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

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