The surprising thing is that most people are proud that they are overworked. Perhaps it makes them feel wanted or makes them feel valuable; they feel they are a key employee, but in truth it is not good for the company. What fighter pilots know about task saturation should worry every CEO. As task saturation increases, performance decreases, as task saturation increases, executional errors increase. Task saturation is a corporate killer.
From Flawless Execution by James Murphy
I know that my stress response behavior is to do something. I realize it is usually not the most important things but just get busy and start checking those boxes on my task list. Usually this is a response to having too many things, out of my control, on my to-do list. I need to manage my time and task better.
I have been around lots of people almost bragging that they had to stay late on Friday night and even had to work Saturday and Sunday to get everything finished. Our goal should be to work smarter, not longer.
We need to be more efficient with our time and also try to make sure we are always working on the most important task first. We also need to look at managing the time we have more effectively. Guard your time by forcing those around you to get on your schedule. Be careful of too much chatting and taking someone else’s Monkeys on your back. (Maybe a blog for tomorrow night)
So maybe take a few minutes this week and see if you are struggling with Task Saturation and see if you can unload some things off your plate, plan a little better and be a little more efficient and try to go home on time or a minute or two early!