Productivity Strategy: Resist Overextending Yourself

Even if your intentions are good, it’s a bad idea.

There are two ways in which you can overextend yourself: you can take on more work than you are reasonably capable of performing, or you can take on work which is beyond your capabilities. Either choice will usually spell disaster.

Overextending yourself can cause you to become frustrated, discouraged, and yes, even less productive. It may even cause you to get fired if you can’t do the work satisfactorily or within required time limits.

You may know someone who is a workaholic. They usually find some aspect of their job to work on, or handle, long after they have left the workplace for the day. They may feel that no job will get done, or will not get done correctly, unless they are doing it.

If you are this person, you probably need to assess your habit of overextending yourself. If you’re working at home after the workday is finished, you are not managing your time — or your workload — effectively.

That is most likely because you have taken on more than you can reasonably do or because you have taken on something that you are not capable of doing.

Overextending yourself on a regular basis will wear you out, burn you out, and wreak havoc with…