Your capacity is all you have to give — choose to spend it wisely

Capacity is one of the most important considerations when deciding what work to take on and what promises to make. One of the reasons I decided to go out on my own is I wanted to have control over how my own capacity would be utilized.

Capacity: The maximum amount or number that can be contained or accommodated.

Capacity: An individual’s mental or physical ability.

You only have so much capacity. You can only do so much. If you do not consider your physical + mental capacity and get real about the maximum that you can accommodate, you run the risk of planning for more than you can handle.

The results are worth avoiding.

Burn out.

Missed expectations.

Poor quality work.

Poor quality of life.

These are the lessons I’ve learned so far:

1. I have one brain, body, heart and soul to work with. It’s got a total maximum capacity.

Capacity is not easily segmented into “work capacity” and “non-work” capacity.

When I worked for others, there were times when taking on extra hours for more output was not a problem because the rest of my life was not too full. I had the capacity to handle more. Quality didn’t suffer and neither did I.

Other times, a few extra hours put me on edge, leaving me stressed and fried. During these times, I was typically managing more in my personal life. As a result, there wasn’t capacity for more.

Being in charge of my work commitments has allowed me to manage how I’m utilizing my own capacity and to be considerate of my whole life: what is happening with me personally? With my family? How much energy is needed for those commitments and how much do I have to give to work?

I know that each opportunity that I accept will take my energy and effort — a part of me — and that part cannot be given to anything else: other work, friends, family or leisure.

2. Sometimes when you say no you are actually saying yes.

Saying no to work when there is not something else on the horizon has been one of the hardest things for me to get comfortable with.

When I started, I said yes to work that wasn’t a right fit because I didn’t have other opportunities lined up and I wanted to make my revenue goal for the month.

I quickly learned that saying yes to things that are not right closes doors to potential right opportunities both logistically and energetically. Now, I know that by saying no I may actually be saying yes to the right thing which has yet to arrive.

I see it like this:

• If you say yes to work that you don’t feel good about it’s like being in a committed relationship with someone you don’t like and going out alone: you appear cranky and unavailable.

• If you say no to work that you don’t feel good about it’s like going out free as a bird: you appear light and available — able to take on the right work when it comes your way.

Now when I say no, I sit back and feel confident, open to what will arrive next.

3. Saying yes to the right opportunities leads to better work, happier clients and more available capacity.

When the work is a good fit, it’s energizing and provides me with more energy to use. Engaging in relationships that are a bad fit reduces my capacity for other things because it not only takes the time and energy needed to do the work and have the relationship, it draws additional energy from my reserve to compensate for the negative feelings and extra effort used up.

Another relationship analogy:

• When you are in the company of people you love and trust, you feel energized and have more to give.

• When you are with people you don’t like very much or don’t trust, you feel anxious and drained. You need to refuel afterward rather than feeling as if they fueled you up.

Key takeaway — treat business relationships as you would any other — pursue those that fuel you rather than drain you.

4. When you do say yes, go all in.

I was recently having a conversation with a client about how to say no more often. He, like so many successful and driven people, says yes a lot. Then, he feels overburdened. I told him that my rule is to only say yes to the things I can give my all to. If I can’t deliver my highest quality work, I say no. This means I need to be constantly assessing and predicting my available capacity. This also means that I might have to say no to something that feels right because I simply don’t have the capacity available in the timeframe requested.

The way I see it is this:

• It’s better to do fewer things at your very best, highest level of quality than to do more than you can handle below that standard.

• When you say yes to something and spread yourself too thin you put yourself at risk of not being able to deliver your best.

• This puts your relationships and your reputation at risk.

• It also feels bad — and has the potential to sap your energy and impact your total wellbeing.