Always working at full speed can bring you to tipping point

‘Doing more with less,” the so-called “new busy,” “capacity” and “giving 110 percent” are all terms tossed around these days in conversations about life. I pride myself in my ability to do 412 things at once, and in my mind all of them well.

So what is the big deal about being so stretched as we work through this economic and business challenge?

I did not know what the big deal was until item number 413 hit me right in the forehead. But before I go on to publicly beating myself up, just what does all this mean when measured by the human capacity factor?

•Marathon runners do not sprint the entire 26.2 miles – they pace themselves wisely. But when we are overloaded with projects, deadlines and other demands, we are trying to sprint a marathon. And when we try that approach, we risk running out of steam or collapsing early in the race.

•Individuals are equipped to carry different loads. There are those who carry all sorts of stuff, most of it small, and others who carry just a few large things. Toss too much onto the backs of either group and they begin to sag. Stuff begins to fall out and mistakes happen.

•People who have a need to know or touch all the jobs happening around them are some of the first to show failure. There is simply not enough in human beings to keep up such attention, and the tendency is to then focus on the fun or simple stuff.

•When you spend all your work hours running at 110 percent, what is left when you get home? Not much that anyone wants to spend time with. I have lost count of the number of failed relationships I have witnessed thanks to the job leaving the provider with little to contribute at home. Many people do not recognize the problem until it is way too late.

•Everyone comes with a different size of gas tank, and some people are quite good at keeping it full, doing things that refill that tank and watching the gauge. Others do not have such skills and continually drain the tank, live a lifestyle that taps rather than refills, or just never quite get a full tank. You can’t expect a sports car to run the same speed or distance as an old pickup with a hole in the tank.

Back to item 413 and my personal tipping point. A number of years ago I was one of those people who worked 80 hours a week and came home totally empty. Since I saw the error of my ways, one of my hot buttons is keeping a balance in life and understanding what is important. It took me years to learn that the project at work is not the No. 1 thing – your relationship with family and friends is.

So when I recently got just a few too many things in my load, I hesitated to let work move into my personal life, having made that mistake before. But something had to give. I had way too many things to do and not enough time. I thought I could just work faster and smarter and get an earlier start each day. Sounds like a great plan, right? Yes, but not for 26.2 miles.

Just a few weeks into my “I can do it all” plan, little things started to get forgotten. Commitments I had made to projects missed deadlines or never got done. My temper got short, and that is totally out of character for me. I had little or no patience for people, and listening was hard when my mind was running down the list of everything I needed to get accomplished. But the final straw was a mistake I made in a simple task that had a public and embarrassing result.

Yes, I am a bit slow, but I saw it, the tipping point. What good am I to those who count on me when I am doing too much, not very effectively? Not much good at all. Time to step back, take inventory and set priorities. Having done that, I feel much better.

In this journey I have also learned that I need to keep my eyes open for the tipping points of those around me.

After all, they are counting on me.