Hello and welcome to this week's short time management tip.

It will take you only 53 seconds to read this time management article. Here is your time management tip for this week.

Time Management Tip

How getting great results can actually derail your career!

Beware great results = more work! This is an issue I have seen every year I have been coaching, but it has been much more prevalent in recent times.

There's a big problem with getting great results. The more often you produce great results, the more work you get. Your boss and their boss think you are fantastic. You feel appreciated and satisfied. You get a bonus or some reward.

Then, because you produce great results, you get more work – and you work even harder to keep up the great results.

And so you work even more. And you get results. And more work. And even more work.

See the problem yet?

This is a warning for BOTH you (the go to person) AND your boss (who keeps loading you up with work. This quickly gets to a no win situation).

What eventually happens in this scenario?

Yes, you guessed it! You, the great results go to person, eventually gets too much work and something slips. The reverse curse kicks and in a you get an average or poor result.

So why did you want to get great results in the first place?

To achieve satisfaction (how long did it last?). To get a promotion (more work). To get more money (ever got a new role or title, but no more money?). But what have you lost? Control over your life! You've run into a trap.

You're slowing figuring out, that just getting results, under any circumstances, is not the answer.

Great results lead to more work, more pressure, less satisfaction and eventually failure – unless ..

Unless you take control of your situation. To do this you need to know exactly how much time is required to achieve these great results AND how to use this to put yourself back in control.

What you want is to be able to consistently, month in month out, year in year out, produce great results, without sacrificing more time.

THE most valuable people in a business are the ones that know their capacity. Capacity is how much work you can get done in the hours per week that YOU CHOOSE to work.

Times are tougher than they have been for a while. Unfortunately every day at the moment I see people asked to do more and to work harder.

So, how do you take control? And, what do you if (when) your boss(es) ask you to take on more?

First, YOU decide the hours that you want to work. Then decide what you can complete in that time AND still consistently get great results.

If your boss tries to push more on to you -- show them your weekly structure which outlines your capacity. Ask your boss which project they will give to someone else so you can take on the new project. And, (this is critical) tell your boss that the KEY to you producing consistently GREAT RESULTS is knowing what needs to be done and how long it will take.

Tell your boss you know (from experience – if not yours then others like me) that taking on too much work leads to poor results and you would never want that to happen because the company and you, boss, would look bad.

I have spoken to many bosses who have been on the end of this conversation. What do think they do?

Yep, most accept and understand your point. They then go and find another person who is not well organized and ask them to take on the extra workload, pressure and stress.

And you keep producing consistently great results.

Action Exercise: In the next 24 hours:

Plan out your IDEAL week. What would a great working week (do a separate one for holidays :-) look like for you. How many hours would you work. When would you arrive and leave. What projects would you work on. What things would you avoid or stop doing? Use our weekly structure blank template to plan out your ideal week.

THEN, compare it to an actual week. What need's to change?

Use your ideal week to determine your capacity. How many hours do you want to work and what can you get done in that time?

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Get your FREE Time Management Course here. and learn HOW to stop going into the red zone.

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Links you should visit
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1) Time Management Central.net quick start guide. Get the quickest access to the best time saving information on the web.

2) Seth Godin video shows how people waste time on stuff that's broken!!

Have the time of your life this week.

Michael

Michael Erwin https://www.time-management-central.net

Get the #1 Secret to Cut 6.5hrs Off Your Work Week and Get a Pay Rise at the Same Time!