When the requests never stop rolling in and you’re being pulled in a thousand different directions it’s very easy to fall in love with the vision of ‘done’.
‘When all the tasks are done, then I’ll be able to relax.’
So you lean in harder, work faster and work longer.
You look up time management techniques and productivity hacks.
You try multi tasking and task prioritization.
But you just can’t seem to reach ‘done’.
It’s like a donkey is cruelly hanging a carrot just out of reach.
No matter how fast or productive you work the requests just don’t stop.
It’s like no one else cares about your dream of ‘done’.
I reckon a lot of people burn out chasing ‘done’.
I think a saner alternative goal would be aiming to give it your best in the allotted time.
‘I recognise that the requests are out of my control and cam say with near certainty that they will be never ending in supply. I also don’t want to burn out or let work eat into my free time. Therefore between 9am and 5:30pm I will do my best to be as productive as possible. If that means some tasks never get done then let them be unimportant ones.’
Thomas Duggan 