Feeling Overwhelmed and Burned Out? Try Capacity Planning.

You probably have some tasks that you keep dragging from one week to the next, don’t you? This thing that you don’t really want to do because it will require effort and time that for some reason you never seem to have. We all have these tasks. On the Eisenhower Matrix they are mostly located in the “less urgent and important” quadrant. There is a tool that can help you to finally get these items of your list and off your mind. This tools is called “Capacity Planning”.

Only few are aware of the term “Capacity Planning”. Those who know it associate it with the business world and the idea of making smart decisions in placing team members in projects for the optimal outcome. However, capacity planning is something that we could and should do with our own personal resources as well. Just as a good manager considers the availability of colleagues when planning out projects, we should take into account what available resources we have before we make plans and decide how we spend our time. This could mean the difference between taking into account how we usually feel at the end of the week compared to the beginning of it or how we organize our different activities over the course of a day. 

Many feel overwhelmed with additional tasks.
Image by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash.

For example, if you notice a general decline in your motivation and drive towards the weekend, it would be unwise to plan challenging tasks, such as doing your tax returns or planning out the yearly budget. It is important to consider however that what we consider as strenuous differs wildly between people. You might find deep focus work such as doing the taxes soothing, whereas another might find it extremely stressful. The best way to anticipate how hard and strenuous a task will feel to you is to look back how that same task, or a similar task has made you feel in the past.

What are the resources?

There are a variety of resources that we should take into account. The most important ones are our available energy, time and motivation. Additionally, you can take into account resources such as money and other individuals  as well as tools you need for your activities. 

When you are planning out your week, consider how your resources generally vary at different points during the week. Are you feeling more motivated on a Monday compared to a Tuesday, or do you usually need a day to get into the spirit of things? Do you generally have a lot of appointments waiting for you at the beginning of the week or more towards the end? Do you have enough breaks during the week so that you are capable of accomplishing harder tasks throughout the week, or should they be completed earlier? 

Here is an example. 

Imagine Lisa has to complete a variety of tasks during the week that she can decide on when to do. Two of the tasks are considered higher intensity tasks that take several hours to complete and require focus and motivation. Three other tasks on her to-do list are quicker to accomplish and don’t require a lot of energy or focus. However, she needs a specific working space and some essential tools to complete them. 

Before Lisa would apply capacity planning she might have had all of these tasks together on a to-do list and tried to accomplish them all in one day. Most likely, she would have completed a few, but definitely not all of these tasks. Additionally, by having this one really intense day she would have felt very drained and unmotivated on the next, or even several following days. This would have led her to lose motivation and postpone the tasks to another week or indefinitely.

Luckily, Lisa is applying capacity planning. 

This is how to apply it, step-by-step:

1. She makes a clear list of the different tasks she needs to accomplish. She takes into account what the next actionable step is and notes it. She also notes what tools and supplies she requires.

2. She marks the necessary time and effort level she will require for each of the items. The effort level is determined with help of the …rule and her own experience. This gives her an idea of how many of the tasks she can and want to accomplish in a day.

3. She has a look at her calendar (LINK). She notes that while she has available times on most days, there are two days on which she expects to be more tired due to a big presentation at work and stressful meetings.
   
4. Lisa distributes the tasks on her list over the days of the week, considering when she will have time, energy and motivation to spare. 

Over the course of the week she is able to accomplish her tasks without feeling especially fatigued or losing motivation for other areas of her life. She starts into the weekend feeling proud and relaxed that she does no longer have to worry about these tasks.

With flexibility to success.

In this hypothetical scenario Lisa did not encounter any unexpected hurdles. She didn’t get sick, or had unexpected tasks added to her list. Of course, life happens and unexpected events can make it necessary to make changes to the original plan. I recommend that you should adjust your plans if necessary. The plan is meant to be flexible. It is supposed to be a helpful guideline to have you stay productive in a sustainable manner. If your plan feels too strict or you feel overwhelmed with what you have to do, it probably needs to be adjusted. If you lose motivation and end up procrastinating, the same is probably true.

If your scheduling and planning does not feel achievable or supportive, it is not helpful. The tool of capacity planning is meant to make your life easier, not harder. You can try to make adjustments yourself or you can get in touch and together we can work on building a strategy that feels right to you. You deserve to be productive AND happy.

Reading recommendations:

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Simon Sinek

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, David Allen

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg

Featured Image by Josefa nDiaz on Unsplash.