You can search high and low for productivity hacks and end up right where you started. You’ll hear me talk about capacity a lot on this podcast so let’s take a moment and really lean into that word with curiosity. If you always feel like you have too much work and too little time, this episode is for you.
The Feeling of Having Too Much Work
When we feel setup to fail, the business comes to a screeching halt. You can’t create in that state. You can’t collaborate. You can’t problem solve. Getting control over your capacity is an urgent matter that allows you to make more time in your business because we’re creating more days that you can actually function as a business owner.
If you’ve been putting off a schedule reset, it might be time to consider what it’s costing the business to continue to work in a state of overwhelm.
Taking On Too Much Work – How Does It Happen?
Who put all this work on your desk anyways? Aren’t you your own boss? Are you being a good boss to yourself?
You put these tasks on your desk and you can take them off your desk, too.
I love that you are brave enough to try every idea you saw in a Facebook Group. Bravery is an important character trait for an entrepreneur.
It’s amazing how curious and hungry you are to learn new things.
But we can’t do all the things at the same time. We need to space the big dreams out and late down one brick at a time, securely.
And if you find yourself in a constant state of overwhelm, this is the year we notice that pattern, ask for help, and build new habits.
How To Cope When You Have Too Much Work
Sometimes we have to slow down to speed up.
Go for a walk. Hit the drive-thru for a comfort beverage. Send a voice memo to a teacher bestie. Name the problem. Say it out loud. Reflect and process how you got here.
Then schedule a coffee chat so we can come up with one small step to bring your capacity back into alignment. Or if you prefer to reset your schedule in private, there is a module in this course that will feel like a warm hug.
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Read the transcript:
Janice Cook 00:00
You can search high and low for productivity hacks and end up right where you started. I’ll talk about capacity a lot on this podcast, so let’s take a moment and really lean into that word with curiosity.
Janice Cook 00:15
You’re listening to Your Win-Win Teacher Business, a podcast for teacher authors who want to make a big impact in the world for teachers and students and have fun doing it. I’m your host, Janice Cook, here with a pep talk to start your week off strong. Some seasons of running a business feel hard and sticky, but it shouldn’t feel like that all the time. Let’s make your business a win-win together.
Janice Cook 00:41
Before schedules, before to do lists, we have to come to grips with capacity. When students dive into my DIY systems course, they have Asana open in a tab, and they are ready to build a beautiful tool that changes their life and makes them feel like they’ve got it all together. I realize how frustrating it is that my course first takes you through a reflection about your capacity, so that you can build a schedule, and then some basic foundational vocabulary first. What a mean teacher I am!
Janice Cook 01:19
But I know that often in business, we have to slow down in order to speed up. It feels like making a list and getting started ASAP is the best way to make things happen, but time is our most precious resource, and we can’t afford to spend it on the wrong tasks. Getting clear on your capacity is time well spent, and that’s why we’re giving capacity an episode of its very own. Getting capacity right before making a schedule and long before we fill that schedule up with tasks. That’s the secret sauce that helps business owners reach their goals, stick to their goals, and stay in this game for the long haul. Let this be the year you get really curious about the concept of capacity. I often say we’re in the business of filling up containers, but you have to know how many containers you have and how big they are first.
Janice Cook 02:18
Let’s talk about TIME capacity. How much time I have to work each week changes. When my kids are in school full time, I might have about 30 hours a week to work. When my kids are home on break, I probably have closer to 10 hours a week to work with. There are days when a meeting or appointment take up part of the day and shrink the capacity. I need to be able to adjust my expectations about what I quote “typically” get done on a Wednesday, when and if that happens, and there’s a lot of mindset work that comes with shaking “the shoulds” and the idea of “typically”. Very few business owners are crystal clear on how many hours they have to work when they step into the office in the morning, but this data point is so important. And sometimes I work with clients who say, “Well, I don’t have kids, and my spouse travels, so I can work all day long, and it’s okay, because I like to work”. Just because there might not be clear parameters, forcing you to set tighter office hour boundaries, doesn’t mean that having a bit of structure wouldn’t be beneficial. If I’m really honest with myself, I have a burst of two to three hours before lunch and a burst of two to three hours after lunch. During this time, I’m focused, productive, creative, strategic – I’m at my best. But after four to six hours of output, I might be able to do some light, digital cleanup, but that’s about it. If I start a task too late in the day, it’s going to take forever. If I’m honest, that my capacity for the day has been spent and carry that task to a fresh new day, that task will get done faster and at a higher quality level. So even if I have eight hours to work on paper, I know that after six hours, quality is going to dip, and it’s just not worth fighting against that natural tendency.
Janice Cook 04:29
Capacity can also come up when we think of MENTAL capacity. The older I get, the less brain energy I have to work with each day. I know when my brain is the sharpest. For me, it’s first thing in the morning, right after my shower. And I know that intense tasks that require focus and clarity must be scheduled into that first block of the day. I can pencil in on my calendar that I’ll tackle something once my kids go to bed. It might look like a good plan on paper, but I need to be real with myself that I will have zero mental capacity left at that time of day. That’s just not a plan that’s set up for success. Many creatives find that their mental capacity doesn’t really turn on until mid afternoon and they get a burst of energy in the evening. There’s no perfect schedule. It’s not a one size fits all situation. But taking the time to really reflect on what works for your brain will be the path of least resistance each and every time.
Janice Cook 05:35
Capacity also comes up when we think of a TEAM. When you hire a team member to support you, your contract likely has language like one product per month or 10 hours per week. It’s an estimate of what you need for the business, and it’s a contract that two sides are entering into. Do you have a plan to revisit that contract to make sure it’s still a fit for your needs and the needs of your team member periodically? Do you have a way to keep an eye on the work you are assigning to make sure it continues to align with the agreement that you both entered in from the start? If we don’t have these systems in place with a team of one to two, things get messy fast as a team grows in size. We’re all about win-wins around here. One of my most important roles as a project manager is keeping in touch with team members and really listening about their season of life. Are they hoping for more work to reach a financial goal? Do they wish work would slow down for a season. Do they love one type of work and love another type a whole lot less? There are clues and breadcrumbs all around us, if we get curious and we look for them. So often, I hear a CEO saying they wish they could make more products or send more emails, and I hear a team member wishing for more work and more hours, but each person is working in a vacuum and not aware that they’re both wishing for the same thing, and have the ability to right size the arrangement and make it happen. And just as often, the reverse situation comes up. A CEO might be stressed about payrolling team members at their current rate, and they might not have as much work for their team member to do as they did when they first hired them. In the same season, the team member might be hoping to slow down their pace to pursue another opportunity or attend to a family matter. Have a plan for keeping an eye on team capacity. This isn’t something we can check on one time. This is ongoing. Setting up systems before hiring is the most peaceful path forward. But if you found yourself in a hiring horror story, it’s okay to reach out for help backtracking, to get supportive systems put into place. This is a very common reason business owners reach out to me for a VIP week so don’t feel one ounce of shame if you find yourself in a mess with team capacity. They likely never covered this in your education classes so be kind to yourself.
Janice Cook 08:16
I’ve said it before, and I’m going to say it again. Capacity changes. It’s normal. It doesn’t mean you are a failure if one day or one week, you get less done than on your record breaking most productive moment of all time. Knowing your capacity clearly at the start really helps when that feeling of failure starts to creep in. It helps us manage it when it shows up, and it helps it show up less often over time. You might be out there searching for productivity tips and hacks, but really you just need to improve your sense of capacity.
Janice Cook 09:00
I absolutely love helping teacher business owners build a schedule that works for their brain and their capacity. My inbox is filled with wins. People who unplugged for their first ever vacation from the business or took medical leave without a worry. Laptops being left behind on trips because there’s a new sense of confidence that there truly is time for all the work to get done with the available moments left after the trip. I want that level of peace for you, too.
Janice Cook 09:32
Thank you for spending time listening today and allowing your brain to be curious about what capacity looks like and feels like for you. Anytime you desire help, but aren’t sure exactly what help you even need, please know that you can hop into the contact form on my website, at cookfamilyresources.com/work-with-me. Maybe you just need a thought partner. Maybe you need to have a coffee chat about capacity. Just know I’m in your corner anytime you’re ready for a conversation.
Janice Cook 10:05
Friends, next week is our first business book club episode. I can’t wait to share a book that I’ve loved and read multiple times with all of my teacher business friends. Is there a book you’re hoping to hear about here on the podcast? Let me know when you leave the show or review on Apple Podcasts. After all, this is our show, and I’d love to hear from you.
Janice Cook 10:29
Thanks for making this podcast a part of your day. I’d love to help you find clarity with your next step in business. Go to cookfamilyresources.com/hiring-guide, I’ll also leave that link in the show notes for you. This guide is packed with good news for those days when you feel like you can’t possibly do it all. It might be time for you to invest in paid support, but the truth is, there are a lot of free steps to explore first. After you dive into that guide, I’ll be in your inbox every Monday morning with more actionable tips to help you enjoy running your business again. See you in the next episode.
