The Growth Equation Newsletter

How do you know when you have too much going on?

The two clearest indicators: either a decline in objective performance or subjective experience. The numbers go down, the stress increases, or some combination of both. But these are end games you want to avoid. Ideally, you spot the issue in advance. It is easier to prevent overload than to escape or reverse it.

Cooking well—literally or metaphorically—means deciding how many burners you can have going, what should be boiling, and when it does so.

Make this metaphor work for you by reflecting on how many burners you’ve got going and the heat of each. You can check in at the beginning of every week to prioritize which burners need to be actively boiling versus which you can keep on a simmer. You could even put this visualization on a whiteboard in your office. If you start to feel like the entire kitchen is getting out of control, that’s a sign to turn down a burner or two, or perhaps, even eliminate some altogether.

We all want to cook, but none of us want to burn down the kitchen. Hopefully, this helps.