Let’s Talk Workload for a Minute

I’m not sure if it’s a function of age, stage of life, or a better regulated nervous system, but I know this to be true:

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I crave space now more than ever.

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I used to love the hustle and bustle of city life. I was happy to work well into the evening to tick things off my to-do list at work before I walked home from the hospital.

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But these days, I ✨love✨ Monday mornings when I have the house to myself and can sit with my coffee, slowly getting ready for the week ahead.

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I ✨love✨ having blank spaces on my calendar that let me know I have plenty of time to get to the things that really matter.

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Creating space is not easy and I’ve struggled with it a lot as a business owner. But those moments when I get it just right, I can see and feel allll the value:

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• Space creates the opportunity to think deeply about challenges and find different ways to approach them.
• It allows me to visualize the future and dream about where I’m heading - personally and professionally.
• It literally creates breathing room so I don’t end my day as a bundle of nerves, constantly checking my phone and struggling to enjoy the evening.

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For many people, not having enough of it is a constant source of stress.

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Almost all of my consulting clients are currently realizing the negative effects of having more work than their teams can reasonably accomplish.

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Consequences like:

🫤 Not taking action on their strategic plan because they’re so busy with day-to-day tasks.

🫤 Constantly responding to fires, many of which would have been normal tasks if they hadn’t been pushed off day after day.

🫤 Morale challenges that lead to decreased productivity, increased chatter amongst staff, and frequently employee turnover.

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Just to name a few…

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This isn’t new, but what is new is that employees, especially people on the earlier side of their careers, seem to have less tolerance for it. We can’t assume people will adapt to our workplace and most of us can’t (and shouldn’t) just try to find employees who are OK with it.

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This is a complex issue that we’re not going to solve in one email. Instead, I’d love to start a conversation about it.

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Will you hit reply and let me know:

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1. Does this topic resonate with you?

2. Will you share a little about your current state? How full is your plate?

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Are you:

• 60% full - Often looking for ways to fill the time
• 80% full - Full enough to stay productive but still have space to think, chat with colleagues, or run to the post office
• 100% Full - Managing your time to a T so that you can sign off at the end of the day, but no extra time for creativity or rest, and frequently pushing aside personal appointments to get the work done
• 110%+ - Cramming all day and still getting to the end with work to take home or keep you up at night

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I realize your situation probably doesn’t fit neatly into one of these boxes, but I’m curious which one feels closest OR how you would describe your workload.

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I have the luxury of deciding when to say yes, when to say no, deciding how much to fill up my calendar, and choosing between space and revenue, and I still struggle with it.

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This challenges gets more complex when you feel like you have to constantly keep up with the demands and expectations of leaders in an organization.

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Let’s get this conversation started and see what we can figure out.

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Much love,

Laura

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PS - If you ARE the leader of your organization, I can’t stress enough how important it is to spend some time on this. If you could use some support, let’s chat. Book a time to connect here.

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PPS - Need a different way to think through this or another challenge? Sign up to join us in Wonder. We meet the last Friday of every month at 11:00 AM ET.

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