How to Keep Your Job Without
Losing Your Mind reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center Finding a good work-life balance is difficult in many professions, but the business field is one that is particularly associated with long hours, unusual schedules, and a general inability to leave work at the office. The volatile and demanding nature of the job leaves many professionals wanting to reduce their work commitments to make more time for their personal lives. If you're one of those overworked souls, here are a few ways to avoid burnout and restore sanity to your work schedule. 1. Learn to delegate and
share work wisely To get started, make a list of all the activities and tasks you must complete during the week, taking note of which could be handled by someone else. Next, match each assignment with the person who has the right skills and experience to handle the task. If you can't delegate, consider swapping certain tasks. Both managers and employees should focus on tasks that use their strengths, so if you're not an Excel whiz, ask a more spreadsheet-savvy colleague to take on the task in exchange for one you're more suited to. Utilizing the right skills appropriately saves everyone time. 2. Perform a workload
triage In a disaster situation, "triage" is the process of sorting victims by medical priority in order to increase the number of survivors. So let's apply that approach to the battlefield that is your to-do list. Here are some questions you can use as part of your triage process:
3. Make sure you've got a
backup So if you're a manager, you need to have a second-in-command that knows processes and policies well enough to be able to handle some high-level issues while you're away. If you're not a manager, it's a good idea to make sure your colleagues understand and can handle certain aspects of your job. 4. Help users help
themselves 5. Implement a rotation to
cover special projects and to staff after-hours duties
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