Wearing ALL the hats holds you back. I got stuck in this habit early on in my EA career because I wanted to be seen as a team player. But soon I just felt burnt out. Here are my top tips on working smarter not harder to achieve your goals and restore balance.
Whether it’s just you or you’re part of a team, we all have the tendency to take on more…“by the time I explain it to you, I could have already done it.” But then you do it again, and again, and again and you’ve literally gotten nowhere. You are in the exact same spot you were in when you started.
Consider what you can delegate. To a team member, to your spouse, or to a professional you’re going to bring on to complete those non-principal tasks. Hint, hint.
Collaborate with likeminded professionals. Perhaps they can support you or, share their lessons learned, experiences and resources. Business besties are worth their weight in gold!
Provide an opportunity for someone else. If you have a junior team member at work, share your workload with them as a means of upskilling or expanding their skillset. They’re not your dumping ground, you are informally mentoring them by sharing your skills and experience.
Show others this is not all you have to give. If you’re forever taking everything on, then you have no time to shine. No time to take on something new. No time to step outside of your role. No time for that promotion because how could you possibly have room for anything else?!
Share your legacy knowledge. You don’t need to be the go-to for everything from, how to change the printer toner to, the history of the organisation. It gets old very quickly. Write it down, tell the team, get it out of your head.
Create strategic and challenging objectives. Each year, set objectives that see you grow in or out of your role. See and understand your value by setting objectives that show how you can shine. These are also a great ‘reset’ if you’re feeling bogged down. Take them out of the drawer, review them and reset.